Bongo Cat, a game that has consistently ranked among the top five on Steam’s concurrent player charts alongside long-standing hits like Counter-Strike 2 and PUBG, has revealed an unexpected financial truth. Despite regularly attracting over 150,000 concurrent players, the game’s developer recently disclosed that it does not generate significant revenue.
Marcel Zurawka, CEO and co-founder of Irox Games, the studio behind Bongo Cat, shared insights in an interview with Eurogamer. He explained that the game’s viral success has not translated into substantial income for the studio.
“People say, ‘Oh, you’re making a fortune now.’ That’s nonsense. I never made this to get rich,” Zurawka said. He detailed the game’s monthly earnings: $2,000 net in March after Steam’s cut and other expenses, peaking at $4,050 in April, then $3,800 in May, and dropping to $2,800 in June so far.
“This isn’t even enough to pay one developer’s salary,” he added. “Looking at the numbers, we’re actually losing money.”
Bongo Cat is a free idle game that functions more like a desktop companion than a traditional game. It places a cat on your taskbar that taps a counter whenever you press a key or click the mouse. As the counter increases, players unlock various hats that can be traded for real money on the community market, which has also led to increased bot activity.
Zurawka noted that less than half of the game’s revenue comes from market trades, with most sales stemming from in-game purchasable cat skins.
However, monetization was never the goal. “I wanted it to be a simple companion tool for everyone, without requiring anyone to pay,” Zurawka explained. “For me, it should always be as accessible as possible. I don’t want to put up a paywall.”
Despite the modest financial returns, the game’s success has positively impacted the studio by serving as a marketing tool, boosting views and wishlist numbers for their upcoming title, Oku.
