Do I ship it?

GamesIdlerIdler + Zombies

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Zombie Idler?

Idler + Zombies

Only 18 developers shipped a Zombie Idler in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Another Try 2, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 34 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $420, ×0.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150. 34 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper, while revenue is down 65% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 34 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Idler + Zombies
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 18
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $13k → $70k → $5.5k → $150 → $299 (still earning) → $598 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Idler + Zombies: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 18
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $418 (exactly $418)
Top 25% $2.8k (exactly $2,844)
Top 5% $210k (exactly $209,700)
Developers, 2 yr 18
Released games 55
Announced 34
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue down 65% on the market, supply 160% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI
Zombies
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Idler; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Survival, Action
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Minimalist
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 54% positive over 1,169 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $420, 1 in 4 over $2.8k, 1 in 20 over $200k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 34 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Idler with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVStrong odds10 devs · median $36k · 10 announced
  2. + FarmingStrong odds33 devs · median $5.9k · 25 announced
  3. + Hack and SlashFair32 devs · median $6.4k · 50 announced
  4. + DrivingFair16 devs · median $5.5k · 18 announced
  5. + LootFair181 devs · median $4.5k · 256 announced
  6. + FPSFair22 devs · median $4.2k · 23 announced
  7. + Turn-Based CombatFair52 devs · median $4.0k · 41 announced
  8. + Turn-Based StrategyFair50 devs · median $3.6k · 45 announced
  9. + Dynamic NarrationFair16 devs · median $3.0k · 17 announced
  10. + Dark FantasyFair83 devs · median $2.9k · 128 announced
  11. + CapitalismFair205 devs · median $2.9k · 260 announced
  12. + SwordplayFair9 devs · median $2.7k · 4 announced

All 177 pairs on the Idler page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Another Try 2 · EA $6.99 1,000 53% 30k $210k (exactly $209,700) Hoki Wolf Studio
Dead District: Survival older $9.99 415 48% 12k $124k (exactly $124,376) BadBit Games
Doom Sweeper older $4.99 782 72% 23k $117k (exactly $117,065) Paper Dog
KUNKUN Defender older $2.99 822 97% 25k $74k (exactly $73,733) Seal
Drakkar Crew older $14.99 155 80% 4.7k $70k (exactly $69,704) SiBear Games
Rabbit Hole older $7.99 264 78% 7.9k $63k (exactly $63,281) Nikita Ustinov, Nikolay Lazarev
Family curse older $6.99 222 90% 6.7k $47k (exactly $46,553) Stork Game
Dead Unending older $9.99 108 41% 3.2k $32k (exactly $32,368) Tyler Hudson
Another Try older $2.99 290 50% 8.7k $26k (exactly $26,013) Hoki Wolf Studio
Praise Dead older $4.99 118 70% 3.5k $18k (exactly $17,665) Intrepid Marmot
Yet Another Incremental Game (but this time about coding) · EA $7.99 39 71% 1.2k $9.3k (exactly $9,348) Raclette Games
Polygeddon $2.99 61 40% 1.8k $5.5k (exactly $5,472) Digital Dreamworks, Gamesforfarm
Voyeur Villa - Living with Monster Girls Edition $19.99 5 80% 150 $3.0k (exactly $2,998) Sexy Hentai Games Factory
Operation: Outbreak Idle $4.99 19 89% 570 $2.8k (exactly $2,844) DeadLogics
Village Defenders $2.99 16 31% 480 $1.4k (exactly $1,435) Uberbax-Gaming
Undead Hunter Part I $1.99 14 78% 420 $836 (exactly $836) Fireplay Studio
Last Hope: Zombie Autobattler $3.99 5 100% 150 $598 (exactly $598) Hands-Off Games
Exploiters · EA $1.99 7 14% 210 $418 (exactly $418) Comar Studios
Is Zombody Home? $3.99 3 100% 90 $359 (exactly $359) Topius, RalphEl

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.