Do I ship it?

Games › Mechanics › Inventory Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Inventory Management game?

Inventory Management

Of 1,196 developers who shipped an Inventory 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.. 2,406 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.1k, ×4.4 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $430k, ×920 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 2,406 games are announced against 809 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.4 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 2,406 announced, ×3.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Inventory Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 1,196
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.9k → $3.8k → $4.5k → $1.9k → $4.0k → $2.7k → $2.0k (still earning) → $1.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Inventory Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 1,196
Bottom 30% $450 (exactly $450)
Median $2.1k (exactly $2,096)
Top 25% $21k (exactly $20,686)
Top 5% $437k (exactly $437,181)
Developers, 2 yr 1,196
Released games 2,545
Announced 2,406
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 flat on the market, supply 95% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.

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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

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Inventory Management
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 780,307 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $2.1k, 1 in 4 over $20k, 1 in 20 over $430k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 7 in 10 of the 520 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 2,406 games are announced against 809 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Inventory Management

165 pairs · ranked by verdict, then medianwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Real Time Tactics + Inventory Management Poor odds $599 33 devs
  2. Inventory Management + Point & Click Poor odds $539 74 devs
  3. Inventory Management + Tower Defense Poor odds $450 35 devs
  4. Inventory Management + Mystery Dungeon Poor odds $359 18 devs
  5. Inventory Management + Psychological Poor odds $359 18 devs
  6. Inventory Management + Conspiracy Poor odds $359 15 devs
  7. Inventory Management + Noir Poor odds $359 13 devs
  8. Inventory Management + Board Game Poor odds $239 25 devs
  9. Inventory Management + Aliens Poor odds $179 23 devs
  10. MMORPG + Inventory Management Dead $10k 5 devs
  11. Inventory Management + Science Dead $4.9k 7 devs
  12. Destruction + Inventory Management Dead $2.4k 8 devs
  13. Inventory Management + Dating Sim Dead $1.1k 11 devs
  14. Arcade + Inventory Management Dead $420 82 devs
  15. 3D Platformer + Inventory Management Dead $179 29 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

ARC Raiders 2025 · $359M Resident Evil Requiem 2026 · $225M Path of Exile 2 2024 · EA · $151M ARK: Survival Ascended 2023 · EA · $144M Marathon 2026 · $54M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
ARC Raiders $39.99 299,346 82% 9.0M $359M (exactly $359,125,396) Embark Studios
Resident Evil Requiem $69.99 106,931 95% 3.2M $225M (exactly $224,523,021) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Path of Exile 2 · EA $29.99 167,730 76% 5.0M $151M (exactly $150,906,681) Grinding Gear Games
ARK: Survival Ascended · EA older $44.99 106,761 60% 3.2M $144M (exactly $144,095,322) Studio Wildcard, Grove Street Games, In… (Studio Wildcard, Grove Street Games, Instinct Games)
Marathon $39.99 44,919 81% 1.3M $54M (exactly $53,889,324) Bungie
Supermarket Simulator $19.99 79,236 92% 2.4M $48M (exactly $47,517,829) Nokta Games
Resident Evil 4 (2005) older $19.99 78,502 94% 2.4M $47M (exactly $47,077,649) Capcom
DREDGE older $24.99 47,624 95% 1.4M $36M (exactly $35,703,713) Black Salt Games
Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront older $34.99 32,183 85% 965k $34M (exactly $33,782,495) Barbedwire Studios, Digitalmindsoft
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr older $49.99 19,552 75% 587k $29M (exactly $29,322,134) NeocoreGames
Titan Quest II · EA $34.99 17,398 81% 522k $18M (exactly $18,262,681) Grimlore Games
Big Ambitions $25.99 14,003 92% 420k $11M (exactly $10,918,139) Hovgaard Games
Car For Sale Simulator $16.99 20,229 78% 607k $10M (exactly $10,310,721) Red Axe Games
Backpack Battles $14.99 18,933 91% 568k $8.5M (exactly $8,514,170) PlayWithFurcifer
Sephiria $17.99 11,582 94% 347k $6.3M (exactly $6,250,805) TEAM HORAY

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