Do I ship it?

GamesHidden ObjectHidden Object + Point & Click

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hidden Object Point & Click game?

Hidden Object + Point & Click

Of 470 developers who shipped a Hidden Object Point & Click 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.. 502 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 2 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×10 the market's $120 for a 2 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $300. Revenue is up 25% on the market; 502 games are announced against 284 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 10.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 25% on the market, 502 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hidden Object + Point & Click
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 470
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.6k → $2.5k → $1.5k → $2.2k → $1.2k → $1.4k → $958 (still earning) → $419 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hidden Object + Point & Click: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 470
Bottom 30% $300 (exactly $300)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,194)
Top 25% $5.4k (exactly $5,373)
Top 5% $128k (exactly $127,760)
Developers, 2 yr 470
Released games 2,653
Announced 502
Effort 2 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $3.99

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 25% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 9%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets
Point & Click
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
Systems
Hidden Object, Point & Click; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Adventure, Exploration
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 18,880 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $5.3k, 1 in 20 over $120k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 9 in 10 of the 522 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 502 games are announced against 284 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Hidden Object with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds17 devs · median $11k · 21 announced
  2. + Level EditorFair12 devs · median $7.6k · 14 announced
  3. + Dating SimFair46 devs · median $3.5k · 41 announced
  4. + CatsFair128 devs · median $1.5k · 160 announced
  5. + DogsFair35 devs · median $1.5k · 18 announced
  6. + RomanceFair60 devs · median $1.5k · 48 announced
  7. + FlightFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 10 announced
  8. + City BuilderFair16 devs · median $1.3k · 20 announced
  9. + SimulationFair475 devs · median $1.2k · 555 announced
  10. + UnderwaterFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 19 announced
  11. + Word GameFair29 devs · median $1.2k · 26 announced
  12. + CookingFair25 devs · median $1.0k · 20 announced

All 188 pairs on the Hidden Object page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Fran Bow older $14.99 20,579 97% 617k $9.3M (exactly $9,254,376) Killmonday Games AB
A Little to the Left older $14.99 16,885 91% 507k $7.6M (exactly $7,593,184) Max Inferno
Batman - The Telltale Series older $14.99 15,060 87% 452k $6.8M (exactly $6,772,482) Telltale
The Room 4: Old Sins older $8.99 17,806 98% 534k $4.8M (exactly $4,802,278) Fireproof Games
The Room older $4.99 30,421 97% 913k $4.6M (exactly $4,554,024) Fireproof Games
The House of Da Vinci older $19.99 6,710 85% 201k $4.0M (exactly $4,023,987) Blue Brain Games
Agent A: A puzzle in disguise older $19.99 5,901 95% 177k $3.5M (exactly $3,538,830) Yak & Co
Hidden Folks older $14.99 7,611 97% 228k $3.4M (exactly $3,422,667) Hidden Folks
The Room Two older $4.99 21,056 97% 632k $3.2M (exactly $3,152,083) Fireproof Games
Deponia older $9.99 10,455 87% 314k $3.1M (exactly $3,133,364) Daedalic Entertainment
Whisper of the House $14.99 5,344 96% 160k $2.4M (exactly $2,403,197) 元气弹工作室(GD Studio)
Lost and Found Co. $17.99 2,736 96% 82k $1.5M (exactly $1,476,619) Bit Egg Inc.
Approximately Up $24.99 995 93% 30k $746k (exactly $745,952) Approximately Games
Ship, Inc. $9.99 2,168 83% 65k $650k (exactly $649,750) Rogue Duck Interactive
Amerzone - The Explorer's Legacy $39.99 526 90% 16k $631k (exactly $631,042) Microids Studio Paris
The House of Tesla: Definitive Edition $24.99 836 72% 25k $627k (exactly $626,749) Blue Brain Games
Lost But Found $6.99 2,316 71% 69k $486k (exactly $485,665) Rogue Duck Interactive
Organized Inside $7.99 2,024 94% 61k $485k (exactly $485,153) Meox Studio
Spooky Milk Life · EA $11.99 1,216 74% 36k $437k (exactly $437,395) MangoMango, Studio Ginkgo
Find Matt's Cats $19.99 719 98% 22k $431k (exactly $431,184) Matt Roszak

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