Do I ship it?

Games › Mechanics › Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Management game?

Management

Of 3,108 developers who shipped a 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.. 5,785 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $3.3k, ×5.2 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $720k, ×1158 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 5,785 games are announced against 2,092 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 5.2 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 5,785 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 3,108
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $10k → $7.0k → $5.9k → $5.1k → $5.5k → $3.9k → $3.6k (still earning) → $1.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 3,108
Bottom 30% $719 (exactly $719)
Median $3.3k (exactly $3,293)
Top 25% $31k (exactly $31,176)
Top 5% $727k (exactly $727,030)
Developers, 2 yr 3,108
Released games 7,467
Announced 5,785
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 85% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.

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Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Management
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Management
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 609,236 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $3.3k, 1 in 4 over $31k, 1 in 20 over $720k.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 7 in 10 of the 1,349 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 5,785 games are announced against 2,092 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Management

150 pairs with a mechanicwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Football (Soccer) + Management Poor odds $2.7k 47 devs
  2. Management + Wargame Poor odds $2.6k 107 devs
  3. Management + Time Management Poor odds $2.5k 649 devs
  4. Management + Choices Matter Poor odds $2.5k 499 devs
  5. Management + Turn-Based Strategy Poor odds $2.5k 243 devs
  6. Real Time Tactics + Management Poor odds $2.5k 188 devs
  7. 6DOF + Management Poor odds $2.4k 15 devs
  8. Shooter + Management Poor odds $2.4k 73 devs
  9. Third-Person Shooter + Management Poor odds $2.4k 16 devs
  10. Level Editor + Management Poor odds $2.3k 38 devs
  11. Management + Time Manipulation Poor odds $2.3k 25 devs
  12. Action-Adventure + Management Poor odds $2.2k 109 devs
  13. Management + Card Game Poor odds $2.2k 165 devs
  14. Management + Tower Defense Poor odds $2.2k 158 devs
  15. Action + Management Poor odds $2.1k 364 devs
  16. Action RTS + Management Poor odds $2.1k 49 devs
  17. Management + Multiple Endings Poor odds $2.1k 213 devs
  18. Survival Horror + Management Poor odds $2.1k 40 devs
  19. Tactical + Management Poor odds $2.0k 339 devs
  20. Management + Arcade Poor odds $1.9k 342 devs
  21. Management + Card Battler Poor odds $1.9k 81 devs
  22. Space Sim + Management Poor odds $1.8k 81 devs
  23. Management + Top-Down Shooter Poor odds $1.8k 26 devs
  24. Management + Quick-Time Events Poor odds $1.7k 26 devs
  25. Management + Tabletop Poor odds $1.7k 86 devs
  26. Management + Board Game Poor odds $1.7k 67 devs
  27. Management + Hidden Object Poor odds $1.7k 62 devs
  28. Management + Investigation Poor odds $1.7k 43 devs
  29. Management + Turn-Based Tactics Poor odds $1.6k 198 devs
  30. Management + Action Roguelike Poor odds $1.6k 62 devs
  31. Trading Card Game + Management Poor odds $1.5k 38 devs
  32. PvE + Management Poor odds $1.4k 225 devs
  33. Management + Typing Poor odds $1.4k 16 devs
  34. Management + Puzzle Poor odds $1.3k 261 devs
  35. Management + Word Game Poor odds $1.3k 18 devs
  36. Management + Grid-Based Movement Poor odds $1.2k 42 devs
  37. Management + Logic Poor odds $1.0k 252 devs
  38. Gun Customization + Management Poor odds $987 15 devs
  39. Management + Runner Poor odds $802 9 devs
  40. Management + Score Attack Poor odds $719 63 devs
  41. Management + Bullet Hell Poor odds $599 41 devs
  42. Management + Platformer Poor odds $449 23 devs
  43. Management + Puzzle Platformer Poor odds $90 26 devs
  44. Real-Time + Management Dead $33k 13 devs
  45. Management + Match 3 Dead $1.2k 10 devs
  46. Swordplay + Management Dead $1.1k 11 devs
  47. MMORPG + Management Dead $599 5 devs
  48. 3D Platformer + Management Dead $449 48 devs
  49. Management + Shoot 'Em Up Dead $449 24 devs
  50. Management + 2D Platformer Dead $239 70 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI 2016 · $497M Euro Truck Simulator 2 2012 · $454M RimWorld 2018 · $219M Stellaris 2016 · $210M Factorio 2020 · $201M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI older $59.99 276,113 86% 8.3M $497M (exactly $496,920,566) Firaxis Games, Aspyr (Mac), Aspyr (Linu… (Firaxis Games, Aspyr (Mac), Aspyr (Linux))
Euro Truck Simulator 2 older $19.99 756,984 97% 23M $454M (exactly $453,963,305) SCS Software
RimWorld older $34.99 208,693 97% 6.3M $219M (exactly $219,065,042) Ludeon Studios
Stellaris older $49.99 139,718 85% 4.2M $210M (exactly $209,535,085) Paradox Development Studio
Factorio older $35.00 191,814 97% 5.8M $201M (exactly $201,404,700) Wube Software LTD.
Cities: Skylines older $29.99 220,465 92% 6.6M $198M (exactly $198,352,360) Colossal Order
Schedule I · EA $19.99 288,939 97% 8.7M $173M (exactly $173,276,718) TVGS
Crusader Kings III older $49.99 94,615 90% 2.8M $142M (exactly $141,894,116) Paradox Development Studio
Europa Universalis IV older $49.99 94,114 87% 2.8M $141M (exactly $141,142,766) Paradox Development Studio, Paradox Tin… (Paradox Development Studio, Paradox Tinto)
鬼谷八荒 Tale of Immortal older $19.99 190,184 56% 5.7M $114M (exactly $114,053,345) 鬼谷工作室
NBA 2K26 $69.99 25,651 66% 770k $54M (exactly $53,859,405) Visual Concepts
Supermarket Simulator $19.99 79,236 92% 2.4M $48M (exactly $47,517,829) Nokta Games
Timberborn $34.99 38,529 95% 1.2M $40M (exactly $40,443,891) Mechanistry
Football Manager 26 $59.99 21,490 37% 645k $39M (exactly $38,675,553) Sports Interactive
Farming Simulator 25 $29.99 39,681 87% 1.2M $36M (exactly $35,700,996) GIANTS Software
TCG Card Shop Simulator $19.99 47,357 96% 1.4M $28M (exactly $28,399,993) OPNeon Games
Frostpunk 2 $44.99 20,872 74% 626k $28M (exactly $28,170,938) 11 bit studios
Farthest Frontier $34.99 24,444 86% 733k $26M (exactly $25,658,867) Crate Entertainment
Foundation $34.99 23,037 86% 691k $24M (exactly $24,181,939) Polymorph Games

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