# Battle Ram

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

- Steam appid: 1262060
- Developer: Runic Rise Games
- Released: 2023 · Genre: Action · List price: $29.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.2k to $1.8k per month (mid $1.5k)
- Opportunity score: $2.8k/month at x1.90 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 70.4k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $526.2k
- Review sentiment: 84% positive across 2666 reviews (2199 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 8.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 2.3 years
- Studio quiet across its whole catalog
- Last build shipped 20 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 10 sales in the last 12 months

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $2.7k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $2.4k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.1k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.5k |

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

28, 11, 25, 18, 15, 28, 20, 17, 19, 12, 17, 9, 12, 9, 11, 13, 8, 11, 7, 13, 9, 4, 8, 7

## Estimated acquisition range

$35.9k to $71.8k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $17.9k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Battle Ram is a single-player action roguelike where players pilot a battering-ram tank through procedurally-generated environments with permadeath mechanics.

Battle Ram has generated $526k lifetime on modest sales (70k units) and maintains $1.5k/mo residual revenue from a small but engaged community (83.9% positive, 8 reviews/mo). The title is dormant rather than dead: the studio has not posted in 27.7 months, but the game still moves units, holds its $29.99 price, and benefits from a 103-language localization footprint that suggests thoughtful international scope. For a publisher or revival studio with roguelike expertise, this represents a low-risk acquisition target with clear content gaps (save-system friction, difficulty signaling) that a modest post-launch pass could address without rebuilding the engine.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (market): Roguelike action genre is saturated; 70k lifetime units and declining velocity (28 sales/mo in early 2024 to 7 sales/mo by end of 2024) suggest the core audience is exhausted.
- Risk (other): Developer Runic Rise Games is a one-title studio in fading status with 27.7 months of silence; acquisition includes no ongoing technical support capacity or franchise roadmap.
- Risk (tech): Save-deletion UX complaint in reviews suggests technical debt; permadeath design intent is unclear to players, risking negative word-of-mouth on each fresh install.

What players are asking for:
- Save-system warnings or safer data handling before file deletion
- Clearer difficulty communication and progression expectations upfront
- Content volume assessment (reviews suggest 5+ hours to 100% completion)

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit the save-deletion mechanic and player onboarding; a one-week UX pass (warning dialog, difficulty preset tooltips) could unlock 15-20% review lift.
2. Model content-refresh scenarios (new enemy types, biome variants, daily runs) against $50-100k production budget to see if velocity can recover to 15-20 sales/mo; 12-18 month payback is feasible at current residual rate.
3. Evaluate Runic Rise Games' IP ownership and contract terms; confirm full asset access and trademark control before committing to rebranding or sequel planning.

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/1262060
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.