# The Big Con

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

- Steam appid: 1139280
- Developer: Mighty Yell
- Publisher: Skybound Games
- Released: 2021 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $14.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $5.0k to $7.5k per month (mid $6.3k)
- Opportunity score: $10.0k/month at x1.60 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 42.7k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $159.4k
- Review sentiment: 93% positive across 1758 reviews (1333 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 67.2 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 4.1 years
- Last build shipped 0 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 7 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.6 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $11.4k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $9.9k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $9.0k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $6.3k |

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

27, 10, 14, 7, 19, 20, 7, 17, 18, 10, 22, 17, 12, 7, 18, 8, 65, 74, 44, 60, 45, 30, 83, 141

## Estimated acquisition range

$150.6k to $301.2k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $75.3k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A charming 90s-styled adventure game about a teen con artist trying to save their mother's video store, built around pickpocketing and scam mini-games.

The Big Con has quietly built a 93.5% positive rating and $159k lifetime net with minimal marketing footprint. Mighty Yell is a one-title studio; the game still generates $6.3k/mo residual revenue despite 49 months of developer silence. The opportunity lies in publishing expansion (console ports, localization refresh) or IP licensing rather than acquisition, since the developer appears content with dormant stewardship. Best fit: a publisher seeking proven indie IP with strong retention metrics and zero franchise baggage.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (market): Single-title studio with no dev communication in 4 years raises questions about ongoing support and bug fixes on new platforms.
- Risk (other): Elasticity of 1.63 suggests aggressive discounting (90% max) may have trained player base to wait for sales; pricing power is limited.
- Risk (other): 24% key-reseller share and 49-month silence indicate organic growth has plateaued; console or Asian market expansion would be needed to materially lift revenue.

What players are asking for:
- Multiple save slots to replay for missed achievements without full restart
- More games in this style and tone from the developer
- Likely console ports or mobile versions (inferred from review silence on platform ports)

Suggested first moves:
1. Negotiate publishing or licensing rights with Mighty Yell to fund console ports (Switch, PlayStation) and re-launch with modern metadata and regional marketing.
2. Conduct player survey (Discord, Reddit, social channels) to validate demand for save-slot UX patch and measure willingness to pay for DLC or a spiritual sequel.
3. Model expansion into Asian markets (Japanese/Korean localization) given 6-language support already in place and adventure genre strength in those regions; current $6.3k/mo suggests untapped geographic upside.

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/1139280
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.