# Stacklands

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

- Steam appid: 1948280
- Developer: Sokpop Collective
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Casual · List price: $7.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $9.6k to $14.4k per month (mid $12.0k)
- Opportunity score: $15.6k/month at x1.30 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 928.4k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.8M
- Review sentiment: 96% positive across 30118 reviews (29014 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 240.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 4 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (11 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 21 months ago

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $21.7k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $18.9k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $17.1k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $12.0k |

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

223, 242, 327, 693, 392, 312, 194, 271, 192, 266, 232, 306, 196, 207, 194, 205, 211, 269, 225, 163, 302, 245, 191, 317

## Estimated acquisition range

$287.5k to $575.0k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $143.7k/year). Same error range applies.

## Markets by review language

- english: 44%
- spanish: 6%
- schinese: 32%
- brazilian: 3%
- french: 3%
- german: 3%
- koreana: 8%
- russian: 1% (game NOT localized in this language)
- japanese: 1%

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A card-stacking city-builder roguelite where players construct villages and manage resources by arranging and combining cards on a grid.

Stacklands has converted $1.85M lifetime net revenue from 928k units at a $7.99 price point, sustaining $11.9-12k/mo in residual revenue 21 months post-launch with zero active discounting. The 96% positive rating and strong mod community signal durable appeal; however, the game sits dormant from a dev communication standpoint (4+ months since last update), and player feedback suggests ceiling friction around endgame purpose and pacing. For a small independent studio, this is a catalog anchor generating steady cash; for an acquirer, it's a low-risk, fully-realized IP with modest but predictable returns and room for targeted QoL updates or sequel expansion.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (market): Endgame progression plateau and lack of concrete long-term goals limit replayability; some players plateau around 7-20h despite 96% positive score.
- Risk (other): Russian localization gap (0.87% of reviews, 235 reviews in Russian vs. 8,658 Simplified Chinese) may indicate underserved regional demand or translation quality issues.
- Risk (other): Developer silence for 4+ months; no indication of planned updates, DLC, or roadmap communication.

What players are asking for:
- Endgame content with concrete win conditions and longer progression goals
- Quality-of-life improvements to reduce pause-based micromanagement friction
- More DLC and mod tooling support
- Improved Steam Deck controls integration

Suggested first moves:
1. Conduct cohort analysis on the 3.7% key-reseller share and flat 24-month velocity trend to determine if organic retention has stabilized or if discounting-free strategy is masking declining interest.
2. Commission a lightweight endgame sprint: time-attack challenges, leaderboard tiers, or meta-progression cosmetics that add 5-10 hours of post-quest play without full sequel development.
3. Evaluate Russian and broader non-English localization quality and marketing spend; 8,658 Simplified Chinese reviews vs. 235 Russian suggests imbalance that may represent easy incremental revenue.

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/1948280
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.