ResidualPlaybeta

The Expanse: A Telltale Series

Deck Nine · 2023 · $24.99 · Adventure · deal grade A

  • Estimated net residual revenue: $4.0k to $6.0k per month
  • Opportunity: $9.5k per month at x1.90 dormancy
  • Estimated lifetime owners: 75.1k
  • 76%% positive across 2863 reviews · 32.2 reviews/month

Why it's flagged

  • Developer silent for 2.7 years
  • Studio active elsewhere (5 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
  • Last build shipped 34 months ago
  • Last discounted 0 months ago, 10 sales in the last 12 months
  • Proven demand elasticity: x1.6 review velocity during past deep sales

Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A narrative adventure based on The Expanse TV series, built around zero-gravity exploration and dialogue-driven storytelling in Telltale's classic choice-based formula.

The Expanse earned $468k lifetime on modest sales (75k units) and still generates $5k/mo in residual revenue despite launching three years ago with zero marketing momentum. The title is sheltered by strong IP recognition and a passionate fanbase, but the save-system friction and limited replayability ceiling mean revival plays are narrow: the real opportunity lies in licensing the experience to streaming platforms or packaging the IP back to Alcon (The Expanse rights holder) for a larger transmedia deal. Deck Nine remains active and the game holds a 75.9% positive rating, signaling solid craft execution masking design frustrations. Most realistic play: licensing.

  • Risk: The Expanse TV and book IP is owned by Alcon Entertainment and Amazon Studios; Telltale held only a limited-term game license, now likely expired or near expiry, blocking any sequel or expanded content without renegotiation.
  • Risk: Multiple reviews cite broken save/load mechanics and lack of skip-dialogue features; these are core QoL issues that poison replay value and reduce long-tail engagement.
  • Risk: The title sits at $24.99 full price with 76% max discount history and only 10 sales in the past 12 months; the elasticity figure (1.59) suggests price sensitivity, yet heavy discounting erodes perceived value and cannibalized early adopters.

This case as Markdown · Estimates carry ±30-50%% error per title.