# Haiku, the Robot

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

- Steam appid: 1231880
- Developer: Mister Morris Games
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Action · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $2.8k to $4.2k per month (mid $3.5k)
- Opportunity score: $7.3k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 81.5k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $406.1k
- Review sentiment: 90% positive across 3541 reviews (2546 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 27.8 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 2.7 years
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 3.3 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 8 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.5 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $6.3k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $5.5k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $5.0k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $3.5k |

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

19, 10, 22, 18, 34, 51, 31, 35, 23, 29, 31, 26, 100, 52, 37, 35, 36, 36, 27, 32, 21, 30, 20, 37

## Estimated acquisition range

$83.2k to $166.5k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $41.6k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Haiku, the Robot is a 2D Metroidvania with elegant pixel art, tight controls, and atmospheric world design centered on a silent robot protagonist.

Despite 39 months on market, this title generates $3,468/mo in steady residual revenue with 89.6% positive reviews and a loyal 28-unit core audience per month. The game's focused design, strong art direction, and high review-to-units ratio (27.8 reviews/mo suggests word-of-mouth holding) point to a quiet cult following rather than market failure. For a publisher seeking evergreen Metroidvania IP with proven appeal and no major technical debt, this represents a low-risk $406k lifetime earner that could yield disproportionate returns through marketing resuscitation, a Switch port, or modest new-content drops.

- Most realistic play: revival
- Risk (market): Metroidvania category is saturated; revival campaign must differentiate on art/atmosphere rather than mechanics.
- Risk (tech): No developer update in 32+ months raises platform-support and post-launch stability unknowns.
- Risk (other): Single-developer studio status (fading) limits internal bandwidth for coordinated marketing or ports; IP acquisition should include technical handover plan.

What players are asking for:
- Console ports (Switch/PlayStation implied in player desire for broader access)
- Quality-of-life content: cosmetics, optional harder modes, or story epilogue
- Expanded attack/combat variety to reduce early-game sluggishness perception

Suggested first moves:
1. Conduct rights/IP clearance with Mister Morris Games; secure full source code and asset handover to evaluate porting feasibility and ongoing support costs.
2. Launch regional marketing push (Asia, underserved European markets) and targeted creator outreach; existing 89.6% score is high-friction asset for influencer coverage.
3. Prototype a lightweight Switch build to test platform elasticity; Metroidvania genre shows strong Nintendo audience receptivity, and 80% historical discount ceiling suggests pricing power remains.

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/1231880
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.