# GRIME

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

- Steam appid: 1123050
- Developer: Clover Bite
- Publisher: Akupara Games
- Released: 2021 · Genre: Action · List price: $24.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $7.7k to $11.5k per month (mid $9.6k)
- Opportunity score: $12.5k/month at x1.30 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 147.4k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $918.6k
- Review sentiment: 85% positive across 6730 reviews (4607 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 61.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 5 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (5 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 30 months ago

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $17.4k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $15.1k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $13.7k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $9.6k |

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

20, 24, 54, 37, 38, 26, 21, 32, 60, 61, 28, 35, 46, 39, 26, 39, 31, 46, 23, 43, 144, 57, 49, 53

## Estimated acquisition range

$229.9k to $459.8k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $115.0k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2D soulsvania with a distinctive monochromatic art style, parry-focused combat, and metroidvania progression that earned ~$920k lifetime across 147k units.

GRIME has found a stable niche audience (84.8% positive, 61.5 reviews/mo average) and continues generating $9.6k–$11.5k/mo residual revenue with zero active discounting. The title demonstrates strong word-of-mouth legs in the soulsvania vertical, though polarizing difficulty and onboarding friction limit mainstream appeal. For publishers or platform curators, this represents a quiet revenue generator worth monitoring for potential sequel/IP expansion or regional publishing partnerships.

- Most realistic play: watch
- Risk (market): Soulsvania market saturation (Hollow Knight, Salt and Sanctuary, Ender Lilies) means discoverability remains a ceiling without active marketing or category placement.
- Risk (tech): Player feedback cites camera clunkiness and early-game janky feel; technical debt may limit porting or live-service extensions.
- Risk (other): Polarizing art direction and punitive difficulty exclude casual players; reviews show substantial churn under 10 hours for uninformed purchasers.

What players are asking for:
- Better tutorial/direction system and in-game map to reduce early-game navigation frustration
- Camera refinement, especially in tight spaces
- More weapon variety or incentive for non-parry builds

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit backend telemetry (churn points, session length, difficulty spike correlation) to identify whether a 'Assist Mode' or optional navigation QoL patch could retain more players and lift month-over-month sales velocity.
2. Explore regional publishing or console porting (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation) where soulsvania audiences are more concentrated; current Steam-only footprint may leave revenue on table.
3. Monitor opportunity_usd trend ($12.4k/mo upside scenario) and review sentiment for signs of franchise IP potential; if sentiment holds, commission design doc for GRIME 2 or spiritual successor with broader accessibility.

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/1123050
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.