# Ib

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

- Steam appid: 1901370
- Developer: kouri
- Publisher: PLAYISM
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $12.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $3.9k to $5.9k per month (mid $4.9k)
- Opportunity score: $6.4k/month at x1.30 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 156.4k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $506.4k
- Review sentiment: 99% positive across 5277 reviews (4886 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 60.3 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 6 months ago
- Last build shipped 30 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 4 sales in the last 12 months

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $8.9k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $7.7k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $7.0k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $4.9k |

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

105, 46, 47, 44, 68, 77, 55, 109, 82, 66, 73, 100, 56, 51, 44, 32, 99, 85, 52, 87, 28, 76, 62, 57

## Missed seasonal-sale revenue (modeled)

Skipped 5 Steam seasonal sale window(s) in the last 24 months. Running a -50% discount in those windows is modeled at +$12.6k 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

$117.2k to $234.5k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $58.6k/year). Same error range applies.

## Markets by review language

- french: 1%
- english: 35%
- spanish: 4%
- japanese: 5%
- schinese: 31%
- german: 1%
- koreana: 17%
- russian: 2% (game NOT localized in this language)
- brazilian: 5%

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2012 indie RPG Maker horror adventure set in a surreal art gallery, remade for modern platforms with new content and multiple endings.

Ib is a quiet, critically beloved title with 98.96% positive reviews and strong legacy appeal rooted in early YouTube horror culture (Markiplier effect). At $4,885/mo residual revenue across ~156k lifetime units, it's generating steady cash from nostalgia-driven replay and discovery among younger audiences unfamiliar with the free original. The low price point ($12.99) and minimal post-launch support suggest opportunity for a larger publisher to expand distribution (console ports, physical editions) and monetize the IP's cultural footprint without heavy development spend.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (market): Core audience skews toward players aged 16-25 reliving 2010s YouTube culture; appeal may narrow outside that cohort and nostalgia cycle.
- Risk (other): Developer kouri is sole-title studio with 5-month content silence; unclear whether revival campaigns or new content are feasible or desired.
- Risk (tech): RPG Maker engine limits console performance and modern feature parity; porting may require significant optimization.

What players are asking for:
- Console ports (Switch, PlayStation, Xbox) to reach non-PC audiences
- Quality-of-life updates (accessibility, UI scaling, controller mapping)
- Physical edition release
- Collaboration with content creators for cross-promotion and story lore expansion

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit console porting feasibility and cost; prioritize Switch given indie horror genre strength there.
2. Engage kouri directly on IP licensing terms and willingness to participate in revival campaign; clarify rights holder status for any derivative monetization (merch, audio soundtrack sales).
3. Conduct soft market test via limited-time discount + influencer placement targeting 18-30 demographic (TikTok, Twitch horror communities) to measure elasticity and identify regional pockets (Korean and Chinese reviews are strong; Russian localization gap noted).

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/1901370
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.