Do I ship it?

Games › Inventory Management › Inventory Management + Puzzle Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Inventory Management Puzzle Platformer?

Inventory Management + Puzzle Platformer

Of 20 developers who shipped an Inventory Management Puzzle Platformer in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 26 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×2.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $90. Revenue is up 6350% on the market; 26 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 6350% on the market, 26 announced, ×1.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Inventory Management + Puzzle Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $30 → $150 → $2.2k (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Inventory Management + Puzzle Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $1.1k (exactly $1,078)
Top 25% $2.2k (exactly $2,246)
Top 5% $54k (exactly $53,964)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 48
Announced 26
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 up 6350% on the market, supply 200% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Inventory Management
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Puzzle Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Inventory Management, Puzzle Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Platformer, 2D Platformer
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Funny, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 81% positive over 261 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $90, median $1.1k, 1 in 4 over $2.2k, 1 in 20 over $53k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 26 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Inventory Management with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds69 devs · median $15k · 62 announced
  2. + LGBTQ+Fair10 devs · median $17k · 13 announced
  3. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair43 devs · median $12k · 47 announced
  4. + Artificial IntelligenceFair34 devs · median $11k · 44 announced
  5. + WargameFair21 devs · median $4.6k · 20 announced
  6. + Time ManagementFair181 devs · median $2.9k · 228 announced
  7. + DeckbuildingFair98 devs · median $2.5k · 137 announced
  8. + LogicFair70 devs · median $1.7k · 74 announced
  9. + Card GameFair65 devs · median $1.6k · 86 announced
  10. + Trading Card GameFair21 devs · median $1.5k · 28 announced
  11. + God GameFair16 devs · median $1.1k · 15 announced
  12. + Local MultiplayerFair9 devs · median $719 · 12 announced

All 164 pairs on the Inventory Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

The Eternal Cylinder 2022 · $874k Jump Off The Bridge 2019 · EA · $57k Lovish 2026 · $54k Warden: Melody of the Undergrowth 2016 · $28k VonGarland Castle : Beyond Blood 2026 · $19k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Eternal Cylinder older $24.99 1,166 89% 35k $874k (exactly $874,150) ACE Team
Jump Off The Bridge · EA older $7.99 239 87% 7.2k $57k (exactly $57,288) Cody Penn
Lovish $14.99 120 85% 3.6k $54k (exactly $53,964) LABS Works
Warden: Melody of the Undergrowth older $19.99 46 78% 1.4k $28k (exactly $27,586) Cardboard Keep
VonGarland Castle : Beyond Blood $14.99 42 57% 1.3k $19k (exactly $18,887) Ash Jackson
Polar Penguin Post · EA older $15.99 25 92% 750 $12k (exactly $11,992) Little Lemon Bulb
Passing By - A Tailwind Journey older $9.99 30 93% 900 $9.0k (exactly $8,991) Studio Windsocke
Word of the Law: Death Mask Collector's Edition older $7.99 33 78% 990 $7.9k (exactly $7,910) Do Games Limited
Home Defender older $5.99 23 56% 690 $4.1k (exactly $4,133) Retro Revenge Ltd
Death and the Fly older $9.99 12 25% 360 $3.6k (exactly $3,596) Independent Programmist Group
Mirage: Ignis Fatuus $16.99 7 85% 210 $3.6k (exactly $3,568) Illam
Stellar Mess: Operation Kush (Chapter 2) $5.99 19 100% 570 $3.4k (exactly $3,414) Tibba Games
SNOWY MEMORIES $4.99 15 100% 450 $2.2k (exactly $2,246) quan home
Tidying Simulator $2.99 24 83% 720 $2.2k (exactly $2,153) GamJangJangi
Toony's Daycare $4.99 10 80% 300 $1.5k (exactly $1,497) Little Ghost Games
QPopGirl $4.99 8 100% 240 $1.2k (exactly $1,198) Emotion Dynamics
Chihuahua Controller $3.99 10 80% 300 $1.2k (exactly $1,197) SinPoDo
Room69 $5.99 6 33% 180 $1.1k (exactly $1,078) RetroMystStudio

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