Steam’s 4th Most Played Game Thrives Without Profit, Dev Says
▼ Summary
– Bongo Cat is the fourth most played game on Steam but generates minimal revenue, earning only a few thousand dollars monthly despite high player counts.
– The game is more of a background application than a traditional game, featuring a cat that counts keyboard presses and mouse clicks without distracting users.
– Up to 50% of Bongo Cat’s player base may be bots farming items for Steam Marketplace sales, skewing its popularity metrics.
– Bongo Cat was created as a marketing tool to boost visibility for Irox Games’ other projects, notably driving 50,000 wishlists for their upcoming game *Oku*.
– The success of Bongo Cat highlights broader trends in gaming, such as the appeal of cozy, low-intensity experiences and Steam’s discovery challenges for indie developers.
Bongo Cat, sitting comfortably as Steam’s fourth most played game, defies conventional gaming success metrics by generating minimal revenue despite its massive player base. With roughly 150,000 daily concurrent users, it outperforms major titles like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Dune: Awakening, yet its creator, Marcel Zurawka, reveals the project barely covers its modest development costs.
Zurawka, founder of Irox Games, openly shares financial details to dispel misconceptions. “People assume we’re rolling in money—that’s far from true,” he admits. In March, the game netted just $2,000 after platform fees. April, its peak month, brought in $4,050, followed by a steady decline to $2,800 by late June. “It doesn’t even cover a developer’s salary,” he says. “Financially, it’s a loss.”
Yet profit was never the goal. Bongo Cat blurs the line between game and desktop companion. The application overlays an adorable cat that taps a counter with each keystroke or mouse click. Silent and unintrusive, it subtly tracks activity without disrupting workflow. Users often forget it’s there—until they spot their tally skyrocketing. Some even layer it over intense gaming sessions, creating absurd juxtapositions like a cheerful cat bopping along during a Phasmophobia horror session.
The concept emerged from Zurawka’s fascination with idle games like Rusty’s Retirement, though he aimed for something even less obtrusive. His initial prototype featured a mining drill chipping at a stone, but the lack of personality led to a pivot. A colleague suggested a cat, specifically Bongo Cat, a meme originating from Tumblr in 2018. The team prototyped it in a week, and within three weeks, a demo was ready.
Launched during Steam’s Idler Fest, Bongo Cat gained traction organically before media coverage propelled it to viral status. But its record-breaking player counts come with caveats. Unlike traditional games, it runs passively in the background, skewing Steam’s metrics. Worse, half its “players” are likely bots farming in-game items for resale. Adjusting for artificial inflation, its true active user base hovers around 70,000, placing it closer to 20th on Steam’s charts.
Despite the botting issue, Zurawka resists monetization fixes like paywalls. “I want it accessible to everyone,” he insists. Instead, Bongo Cat serves as a marketing powerhouse for Irox’s upcoming title, Oku, a watercolor-style adventure reminiscent of Okami. Players earn cosmetic hats for engaging with Oku’s promotions, driving 50,000 wishlists—a significant boost for a small studio.
The game’s success has opened doors previously shut. “Before, we knocked on 50 doors. Now, publishers reach out to us,” Zurawka notes, though he acknowledges the irony: “You need success to become successful.”
Bongo Cat’s rise reflects broader shifts in gaming preferences. Idle and cozy experiences are surging, possibly fueled by younger audiences or older gamers seeking low-stress engagement. Its staying power may hinge on an upcoming update, poised to refine gameplay and potentially push it to #1 on Steam.
Yet its legacy lies beyond numbers. By prioritizing charm over profit, Bongo Cat has sidestepped backlash from meme purists and carved a niche in an oversaturated market. Whether it signals a lasting trend or a fleeting anomaly, one thing’s clear: sometimes, the simplest ideas resonate the loudest.
(Source: EUROGAMER)
