150k Players Daily, Yet Bongo Cat Isn’t Profitable

Bongo Cat currently holds the impressive position as the fourth most played game on Steam, a ranking it has consistently maintained for several months now. Despite this success, however, the game hasn’t translated into financial success. Since April, it’s attracted roughly 150,000 daily concurrent players, putting its player count higher than major releases like Elden Ring: Nightreign and Dune: Awakening. As a result, the game is actually losing money as it cannot recoup even its very minimal development costs. That said, how could a game with such massive player numbers possibly fail to turn a profit?

Bongo Cat Tops Steam Charts, Still Loses Money

According to Marcel Zurawka, the creator of Bongo Cat and CEO of the development studio Iron Games, the game’s financial details were openly discussed during a video call. Specifically, he discussed his reasoning behind this decision, wanting to counter assumptions about newfound wealth. Additionally, Zurawka admitted that the goal of the game was never centered on making money, as some people mistakenly believed the game’s success had made him rich, which he firmly stated was untrue. On the contrary, he provided a breakdown of the game’s earnings, with the first month in March yielding a net profit of only $2000 after Steam took its cut.

In April, the same month when press coverage caused the game to explode in popularity, Bongo Cat saw earnings peak at $4050. While May’s revenue dipped to $3800, by June 24th, the date of the call, the monthly total had fallen further to $2800. Furthermore, Zurawka pointed out that the cost of paying a single developer wouldn’t be covered by this income level, meaning the project was actually costing his studio money overall. Given Zurawka’s statement, the purpose of the game never focused on generating income or achieving profitability, and according to the CEO, it never will be.

Viral Meme App Defies Steam Success Logic

What makes Bongo Cat impressive is how it sits somewhat loosely in the game category, really functioning more like a desktop application. This program overlays an adorable kawaii cat somewhere on your screen, with its little animated paws “booping” a counter every single time by a key press or mouse click. Despite the bongo name, the game operates quietly without sound, while generally remaining unobtrusive. Additionally, the game offers only subtle distractions like occasional color shifts or hat changes in your peripheral vision.

So, how can people feel like they can play this simple key-and-click counter for hours? Primarily, Bongo Cat simply counts players’ actions, as they can forget it’s running only to suddenly notice it again and marvel at how high their scores have climbed. Notably, a popular meme created by StrayRogue and FitzyFlama inspired the game’s development, which spread widely on Tumblr back in 2018, with countless variations showing the cat singing, actually banging bongos, and doing much more.

Desktop Cat App Quietly Dominates Steam Playcounts

It would only take three weeks to make Bongo Cat, ultimately leading to a demo ready by February 2024. Originally, developers Iron Games featured this demo in Steam’s Idler Fest, where it gained traction, followed by a quiet launch during March’s Next Fest event. Although players gradually started noticing it, everything changed dramatically in April when worldwide press coverage erupted, causing player numbers to skyrocket. However, Zurawka described the title as going “through the moon,” garnering daily player figures that consistently attract a somewhat misleading picture of its success.