# The Tarnishing of Juxtia

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

- Steam appid: 1428710
- Developer: Actual Nerds
- Publisher: Mastiff
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Action · List price: $24.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.2k to $1.9k per month (mid $1.6k)
- Opportunity score: $3.3k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 18.9k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $117.8k
- Review sentiment: 68% positive across 708 reviews (591 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 10.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 2.8 years
- Studio quiet across its whole catalog
- Last build shipped 4.0 years 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 | $2.8k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $2.5k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.2k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.6k |

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

9, 8, 4, 12, 5, 4, 5, 4, 5, 9, 7, 4, 3, 1, 3, 6, 10, 11, 10, 9, 18, 6, 5, 12

## Missed seasonal-sale revenue (modeled)

Skipped 3 Steam seasonal sale window(s) in the last 24 months. Running a -50% discount in those windows is modeled at +$2.3k 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

$37.4k to $74.8k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $18.7k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

The Tarnishing of Juxtia is a 2D soulslike action game with pixel art and demanding combat released in 2022 by Actual Nerds and published by Mastiff.

A quiet, niche 2D soulslike that has generated $117.8k lifetime against modest ongoing revenue ($1.6k/mo mid-range estimate). The title shows genre credibility among its audience (68% positive on 708 reviews), but struggles with control reliability and remains highly specialized. Worth watching if you're building a dormant-catalog play or considering a publishing partnership to address technical friction and unlock sale velocity; not a strong standalone acquisition target given studio status and narrow appeal.

- Most realistic play: watch
- Risk (tech): Control responsiveness and pause-menu bugs erode trust despite solid level design, and developer has been inactive for 33 months.
- Risk (market): Extreme difficulty ceiling and niche 2D soulslike positioning limits addressable market; sales velocity has been flat to weak over 24 months (average 7.5/mo).
- Risk (other): Studio classified as fading with only one title in catalog, signaling limited capacity for ongoing support or sequel potential.

What players are asking for:
- Fix input delay and control responsiveness to reduce deaths from unintended character movement
- Implement functional pause menu that actually halts all damage and game state
- Difficulty balancing or optional assist modes to broaden accessibility without trivializing core experience

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit the codebase for input buffering and character-state management; a modest control-responsiveness patch could improve positive ratio by 5-10% and unlock word-of-mouth momentum.
2. Analyze which sale windows (max 92% discounts) drove the 18 and 12-unit months in velocity chart; test targeted paid-user acquisition to validate elasticity (1.05) and revenue-per-install.
3. Contact Actual Nerds or Mastiff to understand rights ownership and appetite for a third-party balance patch or publishing relaunch; if developer is unresponsive, evaluate licensing the IP for a fan-made bugfix mod (with legal clarity).

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/1428710
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.