# The Testament of Sherlock Holmes

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

- Steam appid: 205650
- Developer: Frogwares
- Released: 2012 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $2.4k to $3.5k per month (mid $3.0k)
- Opportunity score: $6.2k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 241.2k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.0M
- Review sentiment: 80% positive across 3933 reviews (3216 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 27.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 3.2 years
- Studio active elsewhere (13 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 3.2 years ago
- Last discounted 0 months ago, 10 sales in the last 12 months

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $5.4k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $4.7k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $4.2k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $3.0k |

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

14, 29, 23, 15, 17, 23, 32, 22, 11, 14, 14, 9, 26, 19, 22, 29, 22, 38, 25, 36, 35, 26, 18, 25

## Estimated acquisition range

$70.9k to $141.8k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $35.4k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2012 point-and-click detective adventure where players solve Victorian-era mysteries as Sherlock Holmes, built on Frogwares' long-running licensed series.

Testament sits in a profitable quiet zone: $2.95k/mo residual revenue on a 14-year-old title, 80% positive reviews, and zero developer attention since 2022. The franchise IP remains valuable (Frogwares is operating and active on newer Holmes titles), but this specific entry trades on story strength and series loyalty rather than technical innovation. Relevant for publishers seeking dormant catalog IP to bundle, localize, or port to underserved platforms, or for studios licensing the Sherlock Holmes detective-game template Frogwares has proven works.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Licensed IP: the game is built on third-party intellectual property
- Risk (licensed_ip): Sherlock Holmes character rights are fragmented globally and expire partially in 2024-2025; Frogwares likely holds a non-exclusive publishing license, not perpetual ownership, limiting derivative opportunities.
- Risk (tech): Multiple recent reviews (2026) report hard crashes on modern Windows 11 and AMD systems; the 37-month patch silence suggests the engine may not scale to current hardware without substantial work.
- Risk (market): Player consensus is clear: strong narrative but dated puzzle design, graphics, and controls that frustrate newcomers; revival requires more than a port.

What players are asking for:
- Stability fixes and Windows 11 compatibility
- UI/UX modernization for point-and-click interaction
- Puzzle difficulty balancing or optional skip-puzzle modes
- Console ports to reach console-native mystery/detective audiences

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit IP chain: confirm Frogwares' current license term with the Sherlock Holmes estate and identify territory-specific expiry dates before committing capital.
2. Run a technical scope on the Unity/Unreal migration and Windows 11 stability pass; the crash reports suggest a ~4-week bug-fix sprint could unlock additional residual lift.
3. Evaluate bundle opportunity: Testament + one newer Frogwares Holmes title (e.g., Sherlock Holmes Chapter One) as a discounted series pack; residual_mid suggests even modest cross-promotion could drive 15-20% volume lift.

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/205650
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.