Do I ship it?

Games › Resource Management › Resource Management + Puzzle

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Puzzle Resource Management game?

Resource Management + Puzzle

Of 270 developers who shipped a Puzzle Resource Management 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.. 402 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.8 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $240k, ×523 the market median. Revenue is up 210% on the market; 402 games are announced against 174 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 210% on the market, 402 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Resource Management + Puzzle
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 270
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.6k → $3.2k → $1.4k → $1.7k → $599 → $1.5k → $3.8k (still earning) → $1.1k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Resource Management + Puzzle: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 270
Bottom 30% $240 (exactly $240)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,346)
Top 25% $11k (exactly $10,518)
Top 5% $248k (exactly $248,462)
Developers, 2 yr 270
Released games 650
Announced 402
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.90

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 210% on the market, supply 75% 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Resource Management
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Puzzle
effort 2 / 10 · high · discrete rules, levels are data

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Resource Management, Puzzle; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Simulation, Management
Price point
$6.90 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.90.

The top 10 games average 65% positive over 47,797 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $10k, 1 in 20 over $240k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 9 in 10 of the 103 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 402 games are announced against 174 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Artificial IntelligenceFair102 devs · median $11k · 131 announced
  2. + DwarvesFair15 devs · median $11k · 24 announced
  3. + WesternFair19 devs · median $7.0k · 26 announced
  4. + SnowFair24 devs · median $3.8k · 36 announced
  5. + JRPGFair36 devs · median $2.7k · 27 announced
  6. + UnderwaterFair51 devs · median $2.3k · 74 announced
  7. + CollectathonFair167 devs · median $1.9k · 222 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair630 devs · median $1.8k · 1,025 announced
  9. + IdlerFair656 devs · median $1.6k · 979 announced
  10. + ArcadeFair322 devs · median $1.5k · 495 announced
  11. + HorsesFair11 devs · median $1.2k · 18 announced
  12. + Quick-Time EventsFair46 devs · median $719 · 55 announced

All 214 pairs on the Resource Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Dorfromantik 2022 · $12M Mini Motorways 2021 · $7.1M Terra Nil 2023 · $6.0M shapez 2020 · $4.3M BOOK OF HOURS 2023 · $3.1M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Dorfromantik older $13.99 27,441 96% 823k $12M (exactly $11,516,988) Toukana Interactive
Mini Motorways older $9.99 23,561 96% 707k $7.1M (exactly $7,061,232) Dinosaur Polo Club
Terra Nil older $24.99 8,035 87% 241k $6.0M (exactly $6,023,840) Free Lives, Clockwork Acorn
shapez older $9.99 14,252 96% 428k $4.3M (exactly $4,271,324) Tobias Springer
BOOK OF HOURS older $24.99 4,129 89% 124k $3.1M (exactly $3,095,511) Weather Factory
The Farmer Was Replaced $9.99 9,116 95% 273k $2.7M (exactly $2,732,065) Timon Herzog
Niche - a genetics survival game older $17.99 4,356 88% 131k $2.4M (exactly $2,350,933) Stray Fawn Studio
My Friendly Neighborhood older $29.99 2,485 96% 75k $2.2M (exactly $2,235,754) John Szymanski, Evan Szymanski
BidKing $2.99 22,238 33% 667k $2.0M (exactly $1,994,749) MindSurge Network & Games
Reus 2 older $24.99 2,133 94% 64k $1.6M (exactly $1,599,110) Abbey Games
Parcel Simulator $17.99 2,804 93% 84k $1.5M (exactly $1,513,319) Dansan Digital
Orb of Creation $11.99 2,167 84% 65k $779k (exactly $779,470) MarpleGames
ShapeHero Factory $23.99 991 88% 30k $713k (exactly $713,223) Asobism.Co.,Ltd
Horripilant $7.99 2,928 92% 88k $702k (exactly $701,842) Alexandre Declos , Pas Game Studio
Titanium Court $14.99 1,094 94% 33k $492k (exactly $491,972) AP Thomson
Supermarket Chaos $4.99 3,266 92% 98k $489k (exactly $488,920) BunnyHop
Click Mage $4.99 2,529 91% 76k $379k (exactly $378,591) Tiny Crow Games
Dawnfolk $14.99 664 94% 20k $299k (exactly $298,601) Darenn Keller

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