Firework

Shiying Studio · 2021 · $9.99 · Indie · deal grade A

• Estimated net residual revenue: $9.0k to $13.6k per month
• Opportunity: $17.0k per month at x1.50 dormancy
• Estimated lifetime owners: 1.3M
• 98%% positive across 44378 reviews · 181.5 reviews/month

Why it's flagged

• Developer active, last post 7 months ago
• Studio active elsewhere (2 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
• Last build shipped 4.8 years ago
• Store page localized in only 2 language(s)

Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A Chinese-language psychological horror game with narrative focus, released in 2021 and still earning ~$11.3k/mo in residual revenue.

Firework demonstrates exceptional retention and word-of-mouth strength: 97.7% positive sentiment across 44k reviews, $3.28M lifetime net on 1.3M units, and stable monthly cashflow of $11.3k/mo despite zero discounting and no developer updates in 6+ months. The game's cultural specificity (Chinese folklore, Feng Shui themes, language-dependent narrative) is both its moat and its ceiling. For a regional publisher or studio seeking a proven catalog asset with minimal maintenance overhead, this is a clean acquisition target; for global players, it's a watch pending localization or sequel signals. Most realistic play: acquisition.

• Risk: Strong performance is heavily skewed toward Chinese-speaking markets; expansion to Western platforms or non-Asian audiences will require significant localization investment and narrative restructuring.
• Risk: 57 months post-launch with no recorded developer activity in 6+ months; engine compatibility, platform support, and security patches may require remediation before integrating into a larger portfolio.
• Risk: Player reviews indicate narrative ambiguity and pacing issues (some found story hard to follow); sequel or expansion viability depends on clarifying core IP pillars.

This case as Markdown · Estimates carry ±30-50%% error per title.