# Cube World

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

- Steam appid: 1128000
- Developer: Picroma
- Released: 2019 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.2k to $1.9k per month (mid $1.6k)
- Opportunity score: $3.3k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 394.7k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.7M
- Review sentiment: 36% positive across 18722 reviews (9867 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 14.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- No developer announcement on record, ever
- Studio inactive: no public activity across 1 tracked titles
- Last build shipped 7.0 years ago
- 47% of reviews come from key activations (excluded from revenue estimates)
- Store page localized in only 1 language(s)

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $2.8k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $2.5k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.2k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.6k |

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

27, 39, 27, 20, 22, 27, 24, 27, 18, 17, 18, 16, 18, 19, 16, 20, 22, 32, 19, 16, 9, 9, 20, 14

## Estimated acquisition range

$37.4k to $74.8k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $18.7k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Cube World is a voxel-based action-adventure RPG with procedural world generation and class-based progression.

Cube World has generated $1.7M lifetime revenue from 395K units sold, yet sits dormant with only $1.5K–$1.9K monthly residual income and virtually no developer activity since 2019 launch. The game retains a small engaged core (125+ hour players, 36% positive reviews despite harsh sentiment around development pace) and carries no licensed IP, making it a clean acquisition target for a publisher willing to stabilize, polish, and relaunch. Mainstream appeal remains limited, but the voxel-adventure category and procedural-generation tech hold catalog value.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (tech): Codebase has not been touched in 83+ months; modernization for current engine versions and platform support will require substantial engineering investment.
- Risk (market): Voxel-adventure space is crowded; Cube World's identity was diluted by a controversial 2019 update that introduced region-locked loot, angering the community and fragmenting goodwill.
- Risk (other): Studio status is listed as inactive with only one title in catalog; IP and code ownership clarity must be verified before acquisition.

What players are asking for:
- Removal or rework of region-locked loot system
- Regular development communication and roadmap transparency
- Multiplayer improvements and cross-platform play
- Class balancing and endgame content expansion

Suggested first moves:
1. Verify IP and codebase ownership through Picroma or legal intermediary before LOI; confirm no encumbrances or outstanding developer agreements.
2. Commission a technical audit of the engine, multiplayer backend, and platform integrations to scope a 6-18 month modernization roadmap.
3. Engage the existing player base (14.5 reviews/month, 125+ hour cohort) with a transparent restart signal: public roadmap commit, region-lock removal, and monthly updates to rebuild trust and visibility.

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/1128000
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.