# Withering Rooms

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

- Steam appid: 2006140
- Developer: Moonless Formless
- Publisher: Perp Games
- Released: 2024 · Genre: Action · List price: $24.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $2.4k to $3.7k per month (mid $3.0k)
- Opportunity score: $4.0k/month at x1.30 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 37.7k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $275.6k
- Review sentiment: 96% positive across 1537 reviews (1179 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 16.7 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 6 months ago
- Last build shipped 28 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 7 sales in the last 12 months

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $5.5k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $4.8k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $4.4k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $3.0k |

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

37, 27, 24, 42, 36, 22, 24, 26, 19, 9, 10, 18, 20, 13, 16, 18, 23, 36, 15, 11, 15, 15, 21, 23

## 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 +$11.7k 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

$73.1k to $146.1k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $36.5k/year). Same error range applies.

## Markets by review language

- french: 2%
- english: 74%
- russian: 3% (game NOT localized in this language)
- schinese: 6% (game NOT localized in this language)
- german: 2%
- koreana: 2% (game NOT localized in this language)
- spanish: 3% (game NOT localized in this language)
- japanese: 7%
- brazilian: 1% (game NOT localized in this language)

Localization gap: 15% of measured reviews are written in languages the game does not support (top: schinese). Localizing is likely immediate market expansion.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2.5D sidescrolling soulslike with survival-horror atmosphere, sanity mechanics, and deep build variety set in a procedurally-shuffled gothic mansion.

Withering Rooms has quietly accumulated $275k lifetime revenue on a single indie title with 95.7% positive reviews and strong player engagement (20-80h median playtime), yet remains largely unknown outside niche soulslike circles. At $3.0k/mo residual and 6 months of developer silence, this is a dormant catalog asset ripe for publishing support, regional expansion (15% localization gap in Simplified Chinese), or a premium console port that could unlock new audience tiers.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (market): Soulslike market is saturated; sidescrolling positioning and 'janky' combat feedback noted by players may limit appeal to mainstream action buyers.
- Risk (tech): Single-studio title with no apparent live-service roadmap; long-term engagement depends entirely on content updates or platform expansion.
- Risk (other): Developer has gone quiet for 6+ months with no post activity; dormancy risk requires outreach to confirm development bandwidth or willingness to partner.

What players are asking for:
- Console port (Switch/PlayStation mentioned implicitly via platform-crossing tone in reviews)
- Quality-of-life polish to combat feel and navigation clarity
- New game+ mode or additional story content to extend replayability beyond true-ending run

Suggested first moves:
1. Contact Moonless Formless directly to assess development roadmap, console porting feasibility, and willingness to accept publishing partnership or marketing investment.
2. Audit Simplified Chinese localization gap (15% shortfall) and conduct cost-benefit analysis for full localization refresh; Japan and Korea show strong review traction (79 + 25 reviews) suggesting regional demand.
3. Model console port revenue lift using comparable indie soulslike transitions (Hollow Knight, Salt and Sanctuary); factor $3.0k/mo PC baseline into NPV of platform expansion 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/2006140
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.