# Cats and the Other Lives

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

- Steam appid: 1360390
- Developer: Cultic Games
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $781 to $1.2k per month (mid $976)
- Opportunity score: $2.0k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 34.7k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $172.9k
- Review sentiment: 91% positive across 1532 reviews (1084 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 7.8 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 2.9 years
- Studio active elsewhere (2 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 3.7 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 5 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.3 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $1.8k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $1.5k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $1.4k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $976 |

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

17, 9, 9, 7, 28, 17, 17, 14, 19, 11, 8, 5, 8, 5, 8, 22, 17, 27, 12, 7, 7, 5, 6, 10

## Estimated acquisition range

$23.4k to $46.9k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $11.7k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A pixel-art narrative adventure where you play as a cat observing a family's emotional unraveling across multiple interconnected storylines.

Cats and the Other Lives has achieved a rare 91% positive rating on modest but steady sales (34.7k lifetime units, $173k net). The game generates $976/mo residual revenue with minimal dev overhead, suggesting strong word-of-mouth retention among a niche indie audience. Revival or light publishing support (console ports, regional marketing, bundle placement) could unlock meaningfully higher volume; the core IP and compact scope make it a low-risk catalog acquisition for indie-focused publishers or platforms seeking high-quality evergreen content.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (market): Narrative-adventure genre has crowded indie middle market; growth beyond existing audience likely requires active marketing spend or platform distribution.
- Risk (other): Developer has posted only twice in 34.7 months; unclear capacity for patches, ports, or marketing collaboration.

What players are asking for:
- Console versions (Switch, PlayStation mentioned in some forums)
- Soundtrack release or licensing clarity
- Developer commentary or behind-the-scenes content

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit console port feasibility and cost (Switch especially); 91% rating + narrative-focus suggest strong fit for Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Network.
2. Establish direct contact with Cultic Games to assess IP availability, willingness to partner on ports/bundles, and backlog of unreleased content or developer materials for marketing.
3. Test placement in indie-game bundles (e.g., Itch.io collections, Fanatical curations) to measure price elasticity (1.3x) and inbound traffic before committing to paid user acquisition.

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/1360390
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.