Games › Shop Keeper › Shop Keeper + Time Management
Should I ship a Shop Keeper Time Management game?
Shop Keeper + Time Management
Of 160 developers who shipped a Shop Keeper Time 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.. 285 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×3.5 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $260k, ×564 the market median. Revenue is down 45% on the market; 285 games are announced against 139 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $180 (exactly $180) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.6k (exactly $1,648) |
| Top 25% | $17k (exactly $16,639) |
| Top 5% | $268k (exactly $267,976) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 160 |
| Released games | 195 |
| Announced | 285 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 45% on the market, supply 480% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 7%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Shop Keeper
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Time Management
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Shop Keeper, Time Management; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Management, Life Sim
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Relaxing, 3D, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 86% positive over 21,709 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 7 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 285 games are announced against 139 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Shop Keeper with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorStrong odds
- + HorrorFair
- + Psychological HorrorFair
- + ModernFair
- + StrategyFair
- + LogicFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + Strategy RPGFair
- + NaturePoor odds
- + BuildingPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
Comparable games
Tiny Bookshop 2025 · $4.2M 
School Days 2026 · $2.7M 
Discounty 2025 · $1.4M 
Cat Cafe Manager 2022 · $1.3M 
Trash Goblin 2025 · $944k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Tiny Bookshop | $19.99 | 6,967 96% | 209k | $4.2M (exactly $4,178,110) | neoludic games | |
| | School Days | $14.99 | 6,023 77% | 181k | $2.7M (exactly $2,708,543) | 白雨工作室 | |
| | Discounty | $19.99 | 2,322 82% | 70k | $1.4M (exactly $1,392,503) | Crinkle Cut Games | |
| | Cat Cafe Manager | older | $19.99 | 2,174 87% | 65k | $1.3M (exactly $1,303,748) | Roost Games |
| | Trash Goblin | $19.99 | 1,574 87% | 47k | $944k (exactly $943,928) | Spilt Milk Studios Ltd | |
 | The Chef's Shift | $12.99 | 1,948 97% | 58k | $759k (exactly $759,136) | Panitia GameDev | |
 | Winkeltje: The Little Shop | older | $14.99 | 1,612 88% | 48k | $725k (exactly $724,916) | Sassybot |
 | Above the Snow | $24.99 | 383 75% | 11k | $287k (exactly $287,135) | Above the Desk | |
 | SkyBrew: Entropic Strategist | $17.99 | 522 75% | 16k | $282k (exactly $281,723) | ATRIC Games | |
 | Internet Cafe Evolution | older | $14.99 | 606 74% | 18k | $273k (exactly $272,518) | Tiny Flame Games |
 | Medieval Crafter: Blacksmith | $11.99 | 745 76% | 22k | $268k (exactly $267,976) | Compact Core Games | |
 | E-Shop Tycoon | $13.99 | 604 72% | 18k | $253k (exactly $253,499) | Aeolian Games | |
 | Rest Area Simulator | $9.99 | 621 85% | 19k | $186k (exactly $186,114) | Oriseus Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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