Do I ship it?

Games › Inventory Management › Inventory Management + Shop Keeper

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Inventory Management Shop Keeper?

Inventory Management + Shop Keeper

Of 131 developers who shipped an Inventory Management Shop Keeper 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.. 209 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $5.4k, ×11 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $430k, ×918 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 209 games are announced against 114 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 11.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 209 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Inventory Management + Shop Keeper
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 131
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $91k → $142k → $49k → $8.4k → $5.1k (still earning) → $1.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Inventory Management + Shop Keeper: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 131
Bottom 30% $898 (exactly $898)
Median $5.4k (exactly $5,389)
Top 25% $49k (exactly $49,279)
Top 5% $436k (exactly $436,074)
Developers, 2 yr 131
Released games 162
Announced 209
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $9.99

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 85% on the market, supply 445% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 6%, 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
Shop Keeper
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, Shop Keeper; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Management, Economy
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 34,334 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $900, median $5.4k, 1 in 4 over $49k, 1 in 20 over $430k.

3 in 10 developers made under $900. 4 in 10 of the 21 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 209 games are announced against 114 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. + 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

Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator 2026 · $6.0M Tiny Bookshop 2025 · $4.2M Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault 2026 · $2.8M Grocery Store Simulator 2024 · $2.4M Roadside Research 2026 · EA · $1.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator $19.90 10,118 95% 304k $6.0M (exactly $6,040,446) Blood Pact Studios
Tiny Bookshop $19.99 6,967 96% 209k $4.2M (exactly $4,178,110) neoludic games
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault $29.99 3,146 80% 94k $2.8M (exactly $2,830,456) Digital Sun
Grocery Store Simulator $14.99 5,337 90% 160k $2.4M (exactly $2,400,049) EXPERIMENT ONE
Roadside Research · EA $14.99 3,991 85% 120k $1.8M (exactly $1,794,753) Cybernetic Walrus
Saleblazers · EA older $29.99 1,974 78% 59k $1.8M (exactly $1,776,008) AIRSTRAFE INTERACTIVE
Blood Bar Tycoon $19.99 773 79% 23k $464k (exactly $463,568) Clever Trickster Studio, Clever Trickst… (Clever Trickster Studio, Clever Trickster Productions)
Clothing Store Simulator $12.99 1,119 89% 34k $436k (exactly $436,074) Kiki Games
Fell & Sell $9.99 1,428 84% 43k $428k (exactly $427,972) Art Games Studio S.A.
Potion Tycoon $19.99 629 71% 19k $377k (exactly $377,211) Snowhound Games
Tobacco Shop Simulator $11.99 826 89% 25k $297k (exactly $297,112) Business Tycoon

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