# Patrick's Parabox

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

- Steam appid: 1260520
- Developer: Patrick Traynor
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Casual · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $7.6k to $11.5k per month (mid $9.6k)
- Opportunity score: $20.1k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 158.0k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $787.3k
- Review sentiment: 99% positive across 5775 reviews (4936 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 76.7 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 3.1 years
- Studio inactive: no public activity across 2 tracked titles
- Last build shipped 4.4 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 6 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x2.1 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $17.3k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $15.1k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $13.7k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $9.6k |

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

37, 26, 33, 38, 103, 69, 44, 119, 110, 114, 115, 92, 53, 40, 77, 57, 91, 171, 88, 58, 44, 47, 102, 121

## Estimated acquisition range

$229.3k to $458.6k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $114.6k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A critically acclaimed solo-developer sokoban puzzle game with recursive box-nesting mechanics, launched 2022, generating $9.5k/mo residual revenue.

Patrick's Parabox sits at the rare intersection of critical acclaim (99.2% positive, 5,775 reviews) and quiet post-launch dormancy. The solo developer has not posted in 37 months despite a $787k lifetime return, suggesting either burnout or full attention elsewhere. For a publisher or studio seeking a complete, polished IP with proven appeal to the hardcore puzzle audience and no ongoing support burden, this represents an undervalued catalog addition; for a revival-focused buyer, the upside depends on whether the developer retains interest or IP can be licensed independently.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (other): Solo developer with 37-month communication gap; unclear whether IP ownership is encumbered or developer retains full control.
- Risk (market): Niche genre with 99%+ positive sentiment but only 77 reviews/month suggests saturated audience; growth through discount (6 promotions in 12m, max 50% off) may be ceiling.
- Risk (tech): Single-developer maintenance model; no post-launch content roadmap visible means acquisition must include willingness to port, localize, or extend on buyer's dime.

What players are asking for:
- Continuation or sequel (review 13: 'id pay one million dollers for it to continue')
- Levels combining multiple mechanics throughout main campaign (addressed post-launch via 60+ bonus puzzles per review 6)
- Price justification (review 11: 'pretty pricy' at $19.99)

Suggested first moves:
1. Confirm IP ownership and developer contact status; determine if solo creator is available for consultation, licensing, or co-development.
2. Audit recent player reviews and wishlist entries for feature requests and platform/port demand (mobile, console ports, level editor).
3. Model a modest marketing spend refresh (newsletter, YouTuber seeding, limited-time discount) against elasticity 2.06 to test whether genre audience is truly saturated or dormancy reflects pure underinvestment.

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/1260520
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.