# Orcs Must Die! 3

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

- Steam appid: 1522820
- Developer: Robot Entertainment
- Released: 2021 · Genre: Action · List price: $29.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $6.7k to $10.1k per month (mid $8.4k)
- Opportunity score: $13.8k/month at x1.65 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 348.6k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $2.6M
- Review sentiment: 86% positive across 14872 reviews (10893 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 44.8 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 14 months
- Studio active elsewhere (4 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 25 months ago

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $15.2k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $13.2k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $12.0k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $8.4k |

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

123, 99, 61, 98, 341, 124, 79, 92, 55, 42, 60, 39, 62, 50, 48, 66, 45, 40, 23, 74, 57, 34, 34, 47

## Estimated acquisition range

$201.1k to $402.3k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $100.6k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Tower-defense action game where players deploy traps and weapons to stop waves of orcs in solo and cooperative campaigns.

OMD3 has generated $2.6M lifetime on 348k units and maintains a stable $8.4k/mo residual revenue stream with 86% positive sentiment despite minimal recent marketing push. The franchise core remains strong (players cite it alongside Dungeon Defenders as a category leader), but coop stability issues and perceived content limits have capped growth. For a publisher or studio seeking a proven IP with loyal but dormant community, this is a turnaround candidate: the game's 14-month silence from the developer and ongoing 75% discount signal either strategic pause or resource reallocation, not market failure.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (multiplayer): Coop mode exhibits persistent reconnect and save-state bugs that frustrate the intended play pattern; fixes require engineering investment.
- Risk (market): Studio status tagged 'fading' with only 3 titles in catalog and no dev communication in 14 months; unclear whether Robot Entertainment is deprioritizing or winding down.
- Risk (other): Pricing tension: current $29.99 list with perpetual 75% discount and elasticity -1 suggests low organic conversion; repositioning could alienate value-minded buyers.

What players are asking for:
- deeper coop stability and faster reconnect workflows
- more campaign content and map variety
- balance pass on underutilized trap/weapon combinations
- cosmetic or seasonal content to sustain engagement

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit coop backend stability and cloud persistence; prioritize one hotfix to demonstrate publisher intent and unlock word-of-mouth at current discount tier.
2. Analyze Robot Entertainment's internal roadmap and M&A posture: contact studio leadership to confirm whether IP is available for co-publishing, content refresh, or full acquisition.
3. A/B test pricing and messaging: run limited promotion of OMD3 as 'best tower-defense coop for 2-4 players' to segment vs. Dungeon Defenders 2 and gauge demand elasticity above 50% discount.

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/1522820
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.