# Democracy 4

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

- Steam appid: 1410710
- Developer: Positech Games
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Indie · List price: $29.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $3.8k to $5.6k per month (mid $4.7k)
- Opportunity score: $6.4k/month at x1.35 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 188.0k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.4M
- Review sentiment: 82% positive across 6384 reviews (5874 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 25.2 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 15 months
- Studio quiet across its whole catalog
- Last build shipped 15 months ago

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $8.5k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $7.4k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $6.7k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $4.7k |

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

48, 23, 46, 54, 82, 48, 44, 70, 27, 33, 43, 61, 34, 132, 59, 44, 48, 49, 24, 24, 30, 20, 19, 34

## Estimated acquisition range

$112.9k to $225.8k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $56.5k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A deep political-management sim where players design policy and navigate voter preferences across multiple election cycles.

Democracy 4 generates $4,704/mo net residual on a $30 price point with 82% positive sentiment and 25 reviews/mo, suggesting a durable niche title with strong franchise fundamentals. The community explicitly requests a sequel (Democracy 5) with expanded mechanics (event system, social media simulation, modding tools) and comparison to Paradox's grand-strategy catalog signals genuine depth. Acquisition angle is weak, Positech retains full IP and studio shows signs of resource strain, but a publishing partnership for a sequel or a licensing deal for mod-toolkit expansion could unlock $30k+ monthly upside.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (market): Niche audience caps total addressable market; 187k lifetime units suggests appeal plateaued below casual-strategy mainstream.
- Risk (tech): Community asks for modding engine and complex event-simulation features that may require significant engineering investment to feel natural alongside existing policy-system.
- Risk (other): Developer has not posted in 15 months and studio status is 'fading' with only 4 total titles; continuity and delivery risk on any sequel or expansion commitment.

What players are asking for:
- Sequel with expanded mechanics (Democracy 5) and event-driven gameplay like Crusader Kings III
- Robust modding and creation tools for policy and scenario authoring
- Enhanced social-media and voter-impact simulation to deepen cause-and-effect feedback
- Deeper sandbox scenarios and ideological governance freedom

Suggested first moves:
1. Validate Democracy 5 prototype with 50-100 streamers and modding-community members from existing base; quantify willingness-to-pay uplift for modding SDK and event authoring.
2. Audit Positech's IP licensing history and standing; confirm full ownership of franchise and any existing mod-SDK roadmap before committing to expansion or sequel publishing deal.
3. Model a mid-scale publishing partnership ($300k-$500k marketing + QA support) tied to Q3-Q4 2025 launch window; project payback against $4.7k/mo baseline if sequel can capture 40-60% of current base plus 20% new-player uplift.

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/1410710
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.