# The Medium

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

- Steam appid: 1293160
- Developer: Bloober Team
- Publisher: Bloober Team SA
- Released: 2021 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $49.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $13.9k to $20.8k per month (mid $17.3k)
- Opportunity score: $22.6k/month at x1.30 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 237.4k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $3.0M
- Review sentiment: 89% positive across 10169 reviews (7419 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 55.7 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 2 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 36 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 9 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.2 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $31.5k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $27.4k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $24.8k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $17.3k |

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

53, 31, 47, 53, 74, 60, 26, 84, 37, 37, 46, 43, 85, 71, 59, 45, 81, 73, 73, 55, 54, 50, 57, 45

## Estimated acquisition range

$416.3k to $832.6k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $208.2k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2021 psychological horror adventure from Bloober Team featuring split-world exploration and Beksinski-inspired atmosphere, currently generating $17.3k/mo in residual revenue.

The Medium remains profitable at $17.3k-$20.8k/mo despite minimal marketing activity (last dev post 1.7 months ago) and zero discounts in 6 months, suggesting strong word-of-mouth retention and pricing power. The game's 88.8% positive rating and comparison to Silent Hill 2 at its peak indicate durable intellectual property, though narrative pacing and technical optimization complaints hint at unfinished potential. For a publisher with horror/art-house reach, modest marketing or platform expansion could unlock significant upside without major development spend.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (tech): Multiple reviews cite performance hitching and frame-rate inconsistency that may limit adoption on lower-spec hardware or new platforms.
- Risk (market): Narrative divisiveness, particularly around the final 15-30 minutes and perceived 'lazy' ending, may cap conversion on presale audiences.
- Risk (other): Movement and camera systems receive friction complaints; design philosophy (fixed camera, slow traversal) is intentional but narrows appeal beyond hardcore psychological horror fans.

What players are asking for:
- Post-game content or narrative closure that resolves ending criticism (mentioned in multiple reviews)
- Performance optimization for 2024+ hardware and frame-rate consistency
- Optional movement/camera accessibility tweaks to reduce control friction without compromising atmosphere
- Console or Mac ports to reach presale and subscription platforms

Suggested first moves:
1. Commission a technical audit (engine optimization, console port feasibility) to assess production cost for PS5/Xbox/Switch expansion; platform reach could multiply residual revenue with minimal story investment.
2. Conduct post-mortem interviews with 10-15 players who left negative reviews on ending/pacing to design a DLC narrative epilogue or director's cut that addresses specific closure complaints without full remake.
3. Run A/B testing on re-marketing campaigns emphasizing Beksinski connection, SH2 comparison, and 'art game' positioning to existing presale/subscription audiences (Epic, Game Pass) to measure elasticity; current $49.99 price and 27% key-share suggest room for volume-based strategy.

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/1293160
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.