Do I ship it?

Games › Inventory Management › Inventory Management + Science

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Science Inventory Management game?

Inventory Management + Science

Only 7 developers shipped a Science Inventory Management game 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, Mudborne: Frog Management Sim, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 21 more are announced, ×5.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

Only 4 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $4.9k against a market of $480. 21 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 10.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 405% on the market, 21 announced, ×5.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Inventory Management + Science
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 7
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $69k → $31k → $2.1k → $5.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Inventory Management + Science: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 7
Bottom 30% $2.1k (exactly $2,096)
Median $4.9k (exactly $4,852)
Top 25% $197k (exactly $196,798)
Top 5% $238k (exactly $238,022)
Developers, 2 yr 7
Released games 32
Announced 21
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $6.99

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 405% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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
Science
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
Price point
$6.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 79% positive over 3,392 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.1k, median $4.9k, 1 in 4 over $190k, 1 in 20 over $230k.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.1k. 21 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Inventory Management with a different setting or mood, 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. + Puzzle PlatformerFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 26 announced
  12. + God GameFair16 devs · median $1.1k · 15 announced

All 164 pairs on the Inventory Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Mudborne: Frog Management Sim 2025 · $238k Monster Lab Simulator 2026 · EA · $197k Ancient Space 2014 · $162k Reactor Tech² 2021 · $159k Archean 2024 · EA · $145k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Mudborne: Frog Management Sim $7.99 993 96% 30k $238k (exactly $238,022) ellraiser, TNgineers
Monster Lab Simulator · EA $12.99 505 70% 15k $197k (exactly $196,798) Round 3 Studios
Ancient Space older $19.99 270 42% 8.1k $162k (exactly $161,919) CreativeForge Games
Reactor Tech² older $14.99 353 68% 11k $159k (exactly $158,744) 4Co
Archean · EA older $19.99 241 87% 7.2k $145k (exactly $144,528) batcholi, FloDKSM
SCP Strategy older $6.99 556 78% 17k $117k (exactly $116,593) LUXO Interactive
Bug & Seek older $14.99 203 90% 6.1k $91k (exactly $91,289) So Peculiar
Space Mechanic Simulator older $19.99 115 60% 3.5k $69k (exactly $68,966) Atomic Jelly
Family Mysteries 3: Criminal Mindset older $14.99 102 80% 3.1k $46k (exactly $45,869) Brave Giant LTD
Tea Garden Simulator older $19.99 54 74% 1.6k $32k (exactly $32,384) Flying Robot Studios
Pharma Craft $6.99 28 75% 840 $5.9k (exactly $5,872) ZD Yazilim
Periapsis: Gravity Slingshot $5.99 27 81% 810 $4.9k (exactly $4,852) PcZ Games
Exo Digger $4.99 14 14% 420 $2.1k (exactly $2,096) TornaGames
ZIRQUITZ $6.99 5 60% 150 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) Surrogate of Sorrow
Stealth-Rogue-Escape · EA $1.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Mysterious Legion

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