# VLADiK BRUTAL

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

- Steam appid: 1316680
- Developer: BRUTAL SOFTWARE
- Released: 2024 · Genre: Action · List price: $11.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $6.3k to $9.5k per month (mid $7.9k)
- Opportunity score: $13.0k/month at x1.65 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 303.9k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.1M
- Review sentiment: 90% positive across 10409 reviews (9497 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 90.2 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 21 months
- Studio quiet across its whole catalog
- Last build shipped 23 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 6 sales in the last 12 months

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $14.3k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $12.5k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $11.3k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $7.9k |

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

4419, 771, 390, 738, 549, 444, 183, 212, 103, 205, 238, 230, 125, 155, 201, 102, 91, 143, 89, 95, 82, 64, 65, 146

## Missed seasonal-sale revenue (modeled)

Skipped 4 Steam seasonal sale window(s) in the last 24 months. Running a -50% discount in those windows is modeled at +$45.9k net in total, assuming a unit uplift of x3.0 (industry-typical for old catalog titles). Same ±30-50% error range applies.

## Estimated acquisition range

$189.6k to $379.2k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $94.8k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A solo-dev lo-fi FPS blending Half-Life 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and Metro aesthetics with dark humor and satisfying gunplay.

VLADiK BRUTAL has generated $1.06M lifetime revenue from ~304k units at a $11.99 price point, with 89.7% positive reviews and 90 reviews/month still flowing six months post-launch. The title is genuine solo-dev work that found a niche audience hungry for early-2000s FPS DNA; residual revenue sits at $7.9k/mo with healthy elasticity (0.29), signaling room for modest pricing moves or seasonal promotions. For a mid-tier publisher or revival-focused studio, this represents a rare case of authentic indie momentum that has not yet decayed, though developer status is marked as fading and post-engagement is cooling (20.9 months since last dev note).

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (other): Developer studio status flagged as fading with only two titles in catalog; no visible roadmap or post-launch content communication for 21 months suggests creator bandwidth or interest may be exhausted.
- Risk (market): Title occupies a narrow retro-FPS lane; mainstream appeal is low (false) and community is linguistically fragmented (8 languages, heavy Russian-language reviews), limiting organic reach beyond Eastern European and nostalgic Western niches.
- Risk (tech): Player reports note two crashes per playthrough and janky enemy AI; post-launch patching absent for 21 months may leave technical debt unaddressed if backlog expands or platform changes.

What players are asking for:
- Fewer crashes and stability fixes
- More varied enemy AI behavior and difficulty scaling
- Expanded weapon balance (shotgun over-tuned)
- Localization support beyond Russian and English

Suggested first moves:
1. Commission a stability patch (crash fixes, AI tuning) and seasonal discount campaign targeting Eastern European and retro-FPS communities; leverage 0.29 elasticity to test $8.99 price point and measure unit uplift.
2. Reach out to developer for acquisition or publishing partnership; clarify IP ownership, post-launch content appetite, and whether a sequel or expanded edition is viable within 6-12 months.
3. Audit referral and bundle performance; 8.7% key-share suggests untapped affiliate and storefront visibility; test bundling with similar indie retro-FPS titles to cross-pollinate audiences.

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/1316680
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.