# Soulstice

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

- Steam appid: 1602080
- Developer: Reply Game Studios
- Publisher: Maximum Entertainment
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Action · List price: $39.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $4.9k to $7.4k per month (mid $6.1k)
- Opportunity score: $12.9k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 58.1k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $579.4k
- Review sentiment: 73% positive across 2763 reviews (1816 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 24.7 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 3.2 years
- Studio inactive: no public activity across 2 tracked titles
- Last build shipped 3.2 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 12 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.5 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $11.2k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $9.7k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $8.8k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $6.1k |

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

38, 22, 24, 21, 26, 41, 34, 27, 51, 36, 22, 27, 17, 23, 23, 21, 33, 49, 32, 47, 21, 11, 20, 17

## Estimated acquisition range

$147.6k to $295.1k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $73.8k/year). Same error range applies.

## Markets by review language

- german: 3%
- english: 49%
- koreana: 1%
- schinese: 8%
- french: 3%
- russian: 19%
- spanish: 6%
- japanese: 1%
- brazilian: 10%

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2022 action game blending dark fantasy atmosphere with classic God of War-style combat, developed by Reply Game Studios.

Soulstice has earned $579k lifetime on 58k units with steady 73% positive sentiment and $6.1k/mo residual revenue, but the studio (Reply Game Studios) appears inactive post-launch. The fixed-camera control scheme divides players; some find it refreshingly old-school, others cite it as a friction point. For a publisher or acquirer willing to greenlight a balance patch or camera QoL pass, the IP and backlog audience offer modest but reliable upside. Licensing the dark-fantasy IP to adjacent media (comics, tabletop) is also worth exploring.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (tech): Camera and control feedback are the primary friction point in player reviews; fixing these requires design iteration the original studio has not pursued in 38+ months.
- Risk (market): Mainstream awareness is low (grade A platform score but 'mainstream: false'); the game occupies a niche between indie action and AA polish.
- Risk (other): Developer studio status is listed as inactive; IP ownership, code access and talent redeployment clarity will be critical in acquisition due diligence.

What players are asking for:
- Camera and targeting refinement to reduce platforming friction and precision combat frustration
- Quality-of-life improvements to exploration UI and memory collection (reduce mandatory backtracking)

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit IP and source-code ownership: confirm Maximum Entertainment holds publishing rights and can license code to a new studio for a targeted camera/controls overhaul.
2. Conduct player cohort analysis: quantify how many of the 813 English reviews cite camera as dealbreaker vs. asset praise; model uplift from a 'Director's Cut' patch addressing top 2 complaints.
3. Explore ancillary IP licensing: the Claymore-adjacent dark-fantasy aesthetic is mature enough for licensed tabletop, webcomic or graphic-novel partnerships that could resurrect cultural awareness with minimal dev spend.

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/1602080
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.