Do I ship it?

GamesSpace SimSpace Sim + Time Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time Management Space Sim?

Space Sim + Time Management

Of 25 developers who shipped a Time Management Space Sim 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.. 34 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×1.7 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $31k, ×51 the market median. Revenue is up 80% on the market; 34 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 80% on the market, 34 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Space Sim + Time Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 25
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.5k → $3.3k → $718 → $1.0k → $1.0k → $4.8k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Space Sim + Time Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 25
Bottom 30% $538 (exactly $538)
Median $1.0k (exactly $1,048)
Top 25% $4.8k (exactly $4,795)
Top 5% $32k (exactly $31,955)
Developers, 2 yr 25
Released games 58
Announced 34
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 80% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 22%, 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.

Space Sim
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Time Management
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Space Sim, Time Management; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Immersive Sim, Sandbox
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, First-Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 911 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $1.0k, 1 in 4 over $4.7k, 1 in 20 over $31k.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. 9 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 34 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Space Sim with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + DestructionFair14 devs · median $3.7k · 22 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair9 devs · median $3.6k · 12 announced
  3. + Tactical RPGFair9 devs · median $1.8k · 15 announced
  4. + WarFair34 devs · median $1.3k · 42 announced
  5. + Walking SimulatorFair16 devs · median $598 · 20 announced
  6. + SportsFair8 devs · median $479 · 9 announced
  7. + DiplomacyLong shot7 devs · median $360 · 14 announced
  8. + MilitaryPoor odds18 devs · median $6.3k · 39 announced
  9. + Online Co-OpPoor odds18 devs · median $4.9k · 63 announced
  10. + Strategy RPGPoor odds8 devs · median $4.9k · 21 announced
  11. + SandboxPoor odds86 devs · median $4.6k · 213 announced
  12. + Colony SimPoor odds42 devs · median $4.6k · 91 announced

All 114 pairs on the Space Sim page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Vanguard Galaxy · EA $8.99 565 90% 17k $152k (exactly $152,380) Bat Roost Games
The Final Earth 2 older $9.99 407 97% 12k $122k (exactly $121,978) Florian van Strien
Space Mechanic Simulator older $19.99 115 60% 3.5k $69k (exactly $68,966) Atomic Jelly
SYMMETRY older $11.99 147 53% 4.4k $53k (exactly $52,876) Sleepless Clinic
Legitimate Space Corp Simulator LLC $12.99 82 69% 2.5k $32k (exactly $31,955) VHornet Games
Riftborne · EA $7.99 108 91% 3.2k $26k (exactly $25,888) Pitio Productions
A Long Journey to an Uncertain End older $24.99 33 75% 990 $25k (exactly $24,740) Crispy Creative
Startenders: Intergalactic Bartending older $14.99 48 85% 1.4k $22k (exactly $21,586) Foggy Box Games
Space Sprouts $10.99 51 96% 1.5k $17k (exactly $16,815) Schleuder Games
soul Interface · EA $12.99 25 76% 750 $9.7k (exactly $9,742) soulless technologies
Cam Star! $4.99 41 68% 1.2k $6.1k (exactly $6,138) PINKU!
Space Supermarket Simulator $9.99 16 75% 480 $4.8k (exactly $4,795) Mythforge Games
The EverFloating Island $19.99 6 33% 180 $3.6k (exactly $3,598) GU GAMES
After the Crash : Colony · EA $6.99 14 78% 420 $2.9k (exactly $2,936) Penche Software
The Chaser's Voyage $19.99 3 100% 90 $1.8k (exactly $1,799) Bright at Midnight: A Game Studio

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