Do I ship it?

Games › Mechanics › Shop Keeper

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Shop Keeper?

Shop Keeper

Of 545 developers who shipped a Shop Keeper 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.. 1,071 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.3k, ×6.9 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $470k, ×1007 the market median. Revenue is down 80% on the market; 1,071 games are announced against 484 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 80% on the market, 1,071 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Shop Keeper
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 545
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $13k → $56k → $273k → $80k → $22k → $7.2k → $2.4k (still earning) → $1.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Shop Keeper: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 545
Bottom 30% $599 (exactly $599)
Median $3.3k (exactly $3,297)
Top 25% $30k (exactly $30,010)
Top 5% $479k (exactly $478,552)
Developers, 2 yr 545
Released games 673
Announced 1,071
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 80% on the market, supply 580% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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.

Shop Keeper
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
Shop Keeper
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 81% positive over 118,252 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $600, median $3.3k, 1 in 4 over $30k, 1 in 20 over $470k.

3 in 10 developers made under $600. 5 in 10 of the 76 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 1,071 games are announced against 484 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Shop Keeper

49 pairs · ranked by verdict, then medianwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Job Simulator + Shop Keeper Strong odds $13k 101 devs
  2. Shop Keeper + Horror Fair $5.1k 32 devs
  3. Shop Keeper + Psychological Horror Fair $5.1k 26 devs
  4. Shop Keeper + Modern Fair $3.2k 27 devs
  5. Strategy + Shop Keeper Fair $1.8k 159 devs
  6. Shop Keeper + Logic Fair $1.5k 20 devs
  7. Shop Keeper + Incremental Fair $1.3k 56 devs
  8. Strategy RPG + Shop Keeper Fair $987 21 devs
  9. Shop Keeper + Nature Poor odds $31k 32 devs
  10. Building + Shop Keeper Poor odds $16k 140 devs
  11. Online Co-Op + Shop Keeper Poor odds $16k 44 devs
  12. Co-op + Shop Keeper Poor odds $13k 40 devs
  13. Collectathon + Shop Keeper Poor odds $12k 44 devs
  14. Trading + Shop Keeper Poor odds $12k 115 devs
  15. Character Customization + Shop Keeper Poor odds $8.4k 52 devs
  16. Immersive Sim + Shop Keeper Poor odds $8.4k 191 devs
  17. Shop Keeper + Capitalism Poor odds $8.4k 135 devs
  18. Sandbox + Shop Keeper Poor odds $7.8k 137 devs
  19. Farming Sim + Shop Keeper Poor odds $7.6k 51 devs
  20. Automation + Shop Keeper Poor odds $6.8k 59 devs
  21. Life Sim + Shop Keeper Poor odds $6.6k 250 devs
  22. Base Building + Shop Keeper Poor odds $5.9k 52 devs
  23. Management + Shop Keeper Poor odds $5.8k 370 devs
  24. Shop Keeper + Female Protagonist Poor odds $5.5k 29 devs
  25. Exploration + Shop Keeper Poor odds $5.4k 51 devs
  26. Inventory Management + Shop Keeper Poor odds $5.4k 131 devs
  27. Shop Keeper + Medieval Poor odds $5.4k 52 devs
  28. Crafting + Shop Keeper Poor odds $5.1k 125 devs
  29. Multiple Endings + Shop Keeper Poor odds $5.1k 42 devs
  30. Walking Simulator + Shop Keeper Poor odds $5.1k 22 devs
  31. Economy + Shop Keeper Poor odds $4.8k 280 devs
  32. Simulation + Shop Keeper Poor odds $4.0k 504 devs
  33. Open World + Shop Keeper Poor odds $3.8k 36 devs
  34. Resource Management + Shop Keeper Poor odds $3.5k 246 devs
  35. Adventure + Shop Keeper Poor odds $3.5k 61 devs
  36. Shop Keeper + Fantasy Poor odds $3.5k 75 devs
  37. RPG + Shop Keeper Poor odds $2.7k 69 devs
  38. Choices Matter + Shop Keeper Poor odds $2.7k 59 devs
  39. City Builder + Shop Keeper Poor odds $2.2k 26 devs
  40. Cooking + Shop Keeper Poor odds $2.2k 117 devs
  41. Shop Keeper + Puzzle Poor odds $2.2k 40 devs
  42. Shop Keeper + Mystery Poor odds $2.2k 24 devs
  43. Shop Keeper + Idler Poor odds $2.1k 65 devs
  44. Shop Keeper + Time Management Poor odds $1.6k 160 devs
  45. Action + Shop Keeper Poor odds $1.6k 49 devs
  46. Physics + Shop Keeper Poor odds $1.3k 37 devs
  47. Shop Keeper + Visual Novel Poor odds $898 28 devs
  48. Shop Keeper + Point & Click Poor odds $748 63 devs
  49. Arcade + Shop Keeper Poor odds $628 47 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

TCG Card Shop Simulator 2026 · $28M Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator 2026 · $6.0M ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs 2026 · $5.5M Tiny Bookshop 2025 · $4.2M Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale 2010 · $4.0M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
TCG Card Shop Simulator $19.99 47,357 96% 1.4M $28M (exactly $28,399,993) OPNeon Games
Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator $19.90 10,118 95% 304k $6.0M (exactly $6,040,446) Blood Pact Studios
ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs $19.99 9,209 95% 276k $5.5M (exactly $5,522,637) Mandragora
Tiny Bookshop $19.99 6,967 96% 209k $4.2M (exactly $4,178,110) neoludic games
Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale older $19.99 6,684 95% 201k $4.0M (exactly $4,008,395) EasyGameStation
Storage Hunter Simulator $24.99 3,866 78% 116k $2.9M (exactly $2,898,340) Raccoons Studio
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault $29.99 3,146 80% 94k $2.8M (exactly $2,830,456) Digital Sun
School Days $14.99 6,023 77% 181k $2.7M (exactly $2,708,543) 白雨工作室
Grocery Store Simulator $14.99 5,337 90% 160k $2.4M (exactly $2,400,049) EXPERIMENT ONE
King of Retail older $25.99 2,982 88% 89k $2.3M (exactly $2,325,065) Freaking Games
BidKing $2.99 22,238 33% 667k $2.0M (exactly $1,994,749) MindSurge Network & Games
Roadside Research · EA $14.99 3,991 85% 120k $1.8M (exactly $1,794,753) Cybernetic Walrus

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