# Source of Madness

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

- Steam appid: 1315610
- Developer: Carry Castle
- Publisher: Thunderful Publishing
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Action · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.4k to $2.1k per month (mid $1.8k)
- Opportunity score: $2.9k/month at x1.65 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 44.8k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $223.1k
- Review sentiment: 69% positive across 1568 reviews (1399 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 14.2 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 17 months
- Studio quiet across its whole catalog
- Last build shipped 27 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 12 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.6 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $3.2k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $2.8k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.5k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.8k |

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

8, 5, 21, 11, 11, 8, 32, 21, 9, 36, 19, 19, 17, 196, 63, 37, 39, 21, 14, 23, 14, 17, 5, 12

## Estimated acquisition range

$42.4k to $84.7k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $21.2k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2022 roguelike action game by Carry Castle that uses procedural and AI-assisted visuals to create intentionally unsettling eldritch horror environments.

Source of Madness has earned $223k lifetime on modest sales (44.8k units) and currently generates $1.8k/mo in residual revenue, making it a quiet earner for Thunderful Publishing. The core appeal, procedural nightmare aesthetics married to roguelike combat, is conceptually sound, but player feedback reveals a persistent disconnect between artistic intent (managed cognitive dissonance via generative visuals) and playability (unclear enemy shapes, sluggish controls, weak early balance). A revival hinges on whether the studio can rebalance combat and enemy readability without diluting the aesthetic signature; otherwise, the IP remains a niche archive piece with modest licensing upside.

- Most realistic play: watch
- Risk (market): The procedural horror aesthetic, once novel for early 2022, now competes against both established roguelikes and the saturation of generative-art-as-novelty titles; repeat players are thin.
- Risk (tech): Core complaint across reviews is visual/mechanical coherence: players struggle to distinguish enemy shapes and attack patterns, suggesting the art-first design may have compromised readability below a playability threshold.
- Risk (other): Developer Carry Castle is a single-title studio with no public engagement in 17+ months; revival would require external production investment, not in-house iteration.

What players are asking for:
- Clearer enemy silhouettes and attack telegraphs so combat is readable, not just visually overwhelming
- Faster, more responsive movement and weapon feel in early game
- Better NPC visibility and narrative anchoring in procedurally generated worlds

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit the procedural enemy generation pipeline and current combat telemetry to quantify whether readability issues are fixable via art-direction constraints or require engine-level rework
2. Commission a small QoL pass (movement responsiveness, weapon balance curve, NPC spatial clarity) and A/B test against current build to measure retention lift
3. If metrics improve, consider a formal re-launch window (Steam front-page placement, community review refresh) to capture lapsed roguelike players; if not, preserve the IP for potential licensing or anthology inclusion

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/1315610
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.