Blacksad: Under the Skin

Pendulo Studios · 2019 · $19.99 · Adventure · deal grade A

• Estimated net residual revenue: $4.0k to $6.1k per month
• Opportunity: $8.3k per month at x1.65 dormancy
• Estimated lifetime owners: 213.2k
• 83%% positive across 6945 reviews · 47.0 reviews/month

Why it's flagged

• Developer silent for 17 months
• Studio quiet across its whole catalog
• Last build shipped 22 months ago

Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A noir detective adventure based on the Blacksad comic series, blending investigation mechanics with choice-driven storytelling in 1950s New York.

Blacksad has quietly accumulated nearly $916k lifetime revenue on 213k units with 83% positive Steam sentiment, yet earns only $5,049/mo residually and has seen zero sales in the past 12 months. The title remains a niche but stable performer with strong IP recognition among comic readers; however, Pendulo's fading studio status and the 21-month gap since last build suggest the project is dormant. Acquisition or publishing revival could tap latent fan interest (reviewers spontaneously mention wanting comic source material), though licensed IP constraints will limit full control. Most realistic play: licensing.

• Risk: Game is based on Blacksad comic series, likely owned by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido or their publisher; rights to any sequel or major update will require renegotiation or may be expired.
• Risk: Multiple positive reviews cite bugs and stability issues; engine or codebase health post-2019 is unclear given 21-month dev silence.
• Risk: Genre (choice-driven detective adventure) is crowded; title has never discounted (0% max discount on record), suggesting either strong IP premium or publisher reluctance to test price elasticity.

This case as Markdown · Estimates carry ±30-50%% error per title.