# Pumpkin Jack

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

- Steam appid: 1186640
- Developer: Evil Raptor
- Publisher: Headup
- Released: 2020 · Genre: Action · List price: $29.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $8.5k to $12.8k per month (mid $10.6k)
- Opportunity score: $16.0k/month at x1.50 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 220.2k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.4M
- Review sentiment: 91% positive across 9733 reviews (7340 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 66.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 10 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 5.5 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 12 sales in the last 12 months

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $19.3k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $16.8k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $15.2k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $10.6k |

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

36, 37, 681, 192, 83, 97, 60, 61, 29, 46, 45, 42, 33, 40, 655, 246, 151, 114, 67, 75, 63, 70, 57, 64

## Estimated acquisition range

$255.3k to $510.5k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $127.6k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Pumpkin Jack is a charming PS1-style 3D action platformer with Halloween theming, spooky aesthetics, and comedic dialogue that earned $1.42M lifetime with 90%+ positive reviews.

This indie platformer sits in a quiet revenue sweet spot: $10.6K/mo residual income on $30 retail, 65 months post-launch, with genuine community affection and zero developer communication in 10 months. The core product is finished and beloved, but pricing friction (players consistently note it feels expensive off-sale at $43-44) and lack of seasonal/holiday marketing around Halloween create untapped recovery potential. Ideal target for a platform publisher wanting to resurrect a dormant catalog title via seasonal campaigns, regional pricing, or bundling.

- Most realistic play: revival
- Risk (market): Category fatigue: 3D platformer revival market is crowded; Pumpkin Jack lacks franchise recognitionor IP anchor to cut through nostalgia-driven buyer noise.
- Risk (tech): Build is 65 months old on a single-dev engine; unknown maintainability if platform certification or compatibility updates needed.
- Risk (other): 9+ months without dev communication may signal studio bandwidth diverted to newer title (Far Far West noted in reviews); revival partner will likely own marketing/ops burden.

What players are asking for:
- Voice acting for dialogue (multiple reviews call reading-heavy UI tedious)
- Lower base price or frequent sales (consistent feedback that $30-44 feels high for playtime value)
- Optional difficulty slider or assist mode (at least one player blocked at tutorial)

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit Evil Raptor's contract and IP ownership; confirm Headup's publishing rights and flexibility on pricing, bundling, and seasonal campaigns before commitment.
2. Run A/B test on regional pricing (cut to $14.99 in select territories) and package Pumpkin Jack as seasonal bundle during Q3-Q4 2025 to capture Halloween window historically unmarketed.
3. Engage community on Discord/forums with small roadmap (e.g., optional VO for key characters, difficulty assists) to reactivate sentiment and justify re-listing in curated platformer collections or Halloween storefronts.

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/1186640
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.