# Tavern Master

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

- Steam appid: 1525700
- Developer: Untitled Studio
- Released: 2021 · Genre: Simulation · List price: $14.99
- 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: $11.3k/month at x1.35 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 402.2k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.5M
- Review sentiment: 92% positive across 13235 reviews (12568 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 89.7 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 15 months
- Studio active elsewhere (2 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 15 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)

134, 138, 101, 656, 278, 281, 99, 120, 140, 159, 136, 125, 111, 96, 86, 446, 174, 168, 74, 122, 87, 66, 93, 96

## Estimated acquisition range

$201.1k to $402.2k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $100.5k/year). Same error range applies.

## Markets by review language

- french: 5%
- german: 8%
- english: 51%
- koreana: 7%
- japanese: 2%
- schinese: 9%
- brazilian: 7%
- russian: 7%
- spanish: 4% (game NOT localized in this language)

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A cozy medieval tavern management idle-sim where players design, build, and automate a fantasy inn.

Tavern Master has generated $1.5M lifetime revenue from 402K units at strong 92% positive sentiment, yet remains largely quiet in the marketplace with zero sales tracked in the past 12 months and minimal developer engagement since launch 15 months ago. The game sits in a profitable niche (casual management/idle) with proven player retention (5,100+ English reviews, 90/mo avg review velocity) but shows signs of dormancy. A light publishing revival or catalog acquisition could unlock untapped geographic expansion (4.3% Spanish localization gap) and seasonal sale cycles that have historically driven spikes.

- Most realistic play: revival
- Risk (market): Genre saturation in cozy-management and idle-sim space; differentiation limited to tavern theming, making discoverability challenging without active marketing.
- Risk (tech): Player feedback flags missing UI polish (tooltips, quality-of-life), unintuitive building/demolition controls, and progression friction (extended research timers); post-launch maintenance has stalled.
- Risk (other): Studio is listed as 'fading' with single-title portfolio and 15+ months without developer post; acquisition of live ops support or personnel may be required.

What players are asking for:
- Improved UI tooltips and clarity on hidden mechanics (hotel hire % chance, tooltips for obscure icons)
- Quality-of-life controls for wall building/demolition and bulk checkbox management
- Balance adjustments to forced progression gates (e.g., toilet requirement forcing early-game rebuild)
- Mouse-button remapping support and accessibility improvements

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit IP ownership (confirm Untitled Studio holds all rights) and negotiate cost-effective acquisition of source and build; assess whether studio principals are available for contract support.
2. Conduct lightweight localization audit: Spanish (427 reviews, 4.3% gap) and French (451 reviews) are high-ROI targets; consider subtitle/UI translation pass to unlock latent regional demand.
3. Model seasonal sales calendar: velocity spike in month 4 (656 units) and month 16 (446 units) suggests holiday/bundle windows; design Q4 2024 bundle placement (cozy-game collections) to reactivate dormant wishlist owners, then measure 90-day post-sale engagement to validate revival viability.

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/1525700
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.