Games › Open World › Open World + Shop Keeper
Should I ship a Shop Keeper Open World game?
Open World + Shop Keeper
Of 36 developers who shipped a Shop Keeper Open World game 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.. 78 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.8k, ×2.5 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $280k, ×188 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 78 games are announced against 31 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $1.1k (exactly $1,079) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.8k (exactly $3,776) |
| Top 25% | $24k (exactly $23,906) |
| Top 5% | $282k (exactly $281,723) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 36 |
| Released games | 46 |
| Announced | 78 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $8.99 |
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 520% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Open World
- effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
- Shop Keeper
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- Open World, Shop Keeper; 9 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Sandbox, Simulation, Management
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 78% positive over 3,328 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $1.1k. 6 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 78 games are announced against 31 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Open World with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + WuxiaFair
- + 4 Player LocalFair
- + VampiresFair
- + TrainsFair
- + FMVFair
- + GothicFair
- + MarsFair
- + TanksFair
- + FaithLong shot
- + DiplomacyPoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + Co-op CampaignPoor odds
Comparable games
Better Mart Simulator 2025 · $557k 
SkyBrew: Entropic Strategist 2025 · $282k 
Summer Beach 2026 · $136k 
A Merchant's Promise 2025 · EA · $135k 
Campsite Hustle! - Management Simulator 2026 · EA · $113k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Better Mart Simulator | $14.99 | 1,238 89% | 37k | $557k (exactly $556,729) | Exanticx Studio | |
| | SkyBrew: Entropic Strategist | $17.99 | 522 75% | 16k | $282k (exactly $281,723) | ATRIC Games | |
| | Summer Beach | $24.99 | 181 66% | 5.4k | $136k (exactly $135,696) | Sakura Cat | |
| | A Merchant's Promise | · EA | $14.99 | 300 86% | 9.0k | $135k (exactly $134,910) | Game Draft Studio |
| | Campsite Hustle! - Management Simulator | · EA | $14.99 | 251 73% | 7.5k | $113k (exactly $112,875) | Red Shore Games |
 | LOVE Hotel Simulator 🏩 | $14.99 | 241 70% | 7.2k | $108k (exactly $108,378) | Pocket Rocket Studio 🚀 | |
 | GeckoShop | $9.99 | 342 66% | 10k | $102k (exactly $102,497) | Reptoid | |
 | Bug & Seek | older | $14.99 | 203 90% | 6.1k | $91k (exactly $91,289) | So Peculiar |
 | Arctic Shift: Fuel Station | $13.99 | 79 49% | 2.4k | $33k (exactly $33,156) | Wildbyte | |
 | Parcel Delivery Simulator | $6.99 | 114 61% | 3.4k | $24k (exactly $23,906) | Digital Melody | |
 | Drive Thru Miami - Restaurant Simulator | · EA | $9.99 | 60 60% | 1.8k | $18k (exactly $17,982) | Alkame Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.