# Men of War II

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

- Steam appid: 1128860
- Developer: Best Way
- Publisher: Fulqrum Publishing
- Released: 2024 · Genre: Action · List price: $44.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $13.9k to $20.9k per month (mid $17.4k)
- Opportunity score: $22.7k/month at x1.30 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 179.4k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $2.4M
- Review sentiment: 61% positive across 7454 reviews (5607 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 53.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 3 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 19 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 7 sales in the last 12 months

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $31.6k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $27.5k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $24.9k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $17.4k |

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

199, 131, 145, 180, 161, 97, 63, 59, 35, 131, 61, 74, 59, 84, 111, 78, 141, 79, 81, 55, 26, 74, 33, 49

## Estimated acquisition range

$418.2k to $836.5k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $209.1k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Men of War II is a 2024 WW2 tactical action game from Best Way that inherits franchise DNA but diverges meaningfully from its predecessors.

This title sits in a quiet window: $2.36M lifetime revenue on ~179k units, still earning $17.4k/mo residual despite a 60% positive rating and franchise friction. The gap between expectations (set by beloved Assault Squad 2) and delivery (perceived as stripped-down, performance-hampered) has suppressed word-of-mouth and reviews, yet the core mechanics hold a 8-10h average play session. For a publisher or studio seeking a tactical IP with an installed modding community in the WW2 genre, this represents fixable content and technical debt rather than design failure. Acquisition makes sense only if the buyer can credibly address optimization and feature gaps; revival through DLC or a expanded "2.5" build may be the more realistic ROI path.

- Most realistic play: revival
- Risk (market): Franchise fatigue and direct unfavorable comparison to Assault Squad 2 (a 2014 title still actively modded) creates high customer acquisition cost for sequel messaging.
- Risk (tech): Repeated complaints about optimization, crashes, and server stability suggest incomplete polish at 19 months post-launch; fixes may require engine or netcode rework.
- Risk (other): Modding community (mentioned as GAW mod, Gem editor in reviews) appears fragmented; loss of tooling or mod support between entries may have driven lapsed players.

What players are asking for:
- Map variety and custom map editor tools (multiple reviews request more maps and note loss of Gem editor functionality)
- Performance optimization and crash fixes (server disconnects and laptop performance mentioned repeatedly)
- Gameplay and control refinement closer to Assault Squad 2 baseline
- Transparent balance and content roadmap to signal long-term support

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit the mod tooling ecosystem: interview long-tail modders (GAW mod author, etc.) and establish whether Gem editor relaunch or official Steam Workshop integration would re-engage the community at low cost.
2. Commission a technical health review: isolate server-side crashes, GPU/CPU bottlenecks, and memory leaks; prioritize a patch that brings 1060/Ryzen 5 rigs to stable 60fps, 1080p at medium settings.
3. Test a seasonal content drop (3-5 new campaign missions, balance pass, map pack) against concurrent players and review sentiment; if lift in positive reviews exceeds 15%, greenlight a Year 2 roadmap and comms campaign targeting Assault Squad 2 veterans by name.

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/1128860
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.