# BURIED STARS

> ResidualPlay case file: an overlooked Steam game still earning residual revenue. Estimates carry a ±30-50% error range per title.

- Steam appid: 1025960
- Developer: LINE Games Corporation
- Released: 2021 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $39.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $7.0k to $10.5k per month (mid $8.7k)
- Opportunity score: $18.3k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 67.1k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $669.1k
- Review sentiment: 84% positive across 2244 reviews (2097 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 35.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 3.7 years
- Studio inactive: no public activity across 1 tracked titles
- Last build shipped 4.8 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 11 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x2.2 review velocity during past deep sales

## Where a gross dollar goes (monthly, at current velocity)

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $15.8k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $13.8k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $12.5k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $8.7k |

## Monthly review counts, oldest to newest (24 months)

13, 13, 8, 14, 13, 12, 8, 13, 19, 15, 20, 22, 47, 16, 19, 10, 17, 18, 13, 77, 36, 27, 20, 37

## Estimated acquisition range

$209.4k to $418.8k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $104.7k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A character-driven Korean visual novel about eight strangers trapped in an underground bunker solving a mystery together.

BURIED STARS has shipped 67k units and sits at 84% positive reviews with steady monthly revenue of $8.7k/mo, but the studio is inactive and the title remains obscure outside VN enthusiast circles. The game's core strength, nuanced character writing and branching narrative, is undermined by UX friction (inflexible skip functions, translation roughness, non-rebindable controls) that players tolerate rather than celebrate. For a publisher with localization resources or a studio seeking a proven IP with loyal fans, this is a dormant catalog asset worth a modest acquisition or revival campaign; the opportunity is tactical rather than transformative.

- Most realistic play: revival
- Risk (tech): Multiple players flag skip function design and control remapping as broken or missing; engine may require non-trivial UX fixes to improve accessibility and replay flow.
- Risk (market): Mainstream appeal is explicitly low (grade A, but mainstream: false); audience is narrow and likely price-sensitive (elasticity 2.17 suggests high sensitivity to discounting).
- Risk (other): Developer LINE Games is marked inactive (44+ months since last dev post, 57 months since build); no active studio to support continuity, porting, or sequels.

What players are asking for:
- Smart skip function that remembers which dialogue/scenes have been read and doesn't force re-read on new playthroughs
- Rebindable or customizable controls (current fixed layout frustrates some players)
- Improved English localization; translation inconsistencies noted especially in later routes
- Clear character relationship/dependency documentation to reduce need for external guides

Suggested first moves:
1. Conduct a 2-week QA audit of skip function, control mapping, and translation consistency against a fan-compiled route guide; prioritize the three highest-impact UX friction points for a cost-effective patch.
2. License or commission a professional Korean->English re-localization of routes 3-8 (where quality reportedly drops); estimate cost and impact on review velocity post-patch.
3. Test a limited revival campaign (seasonal sale, press outreach to VN media, console port inquiry) to establish whether monthly revenue scales with visibility; current $18.3k/mo opportunity is conservative if churn is addressable.

Generated 2026-08-20 from public signals and player reviews. Directional, not diligence.

## Methodology

Units are estimated from Steam-purchase reviews times a release-cohort multiplier (Boxleiter method, 20-75x by year). Revenue uses an effective price (lifetime discounts and regional pricing) and nets out VAT (~13%), refunds (~9.5%) and Steam's 30% cut: roughly 55% of gross reaches the developer.

Source: https://residualplay.com/game/1025960
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.