# The Darkest Files

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

- Steam appid: 2058730
- Developer: Paintbucket Games
- Released: 2025 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: C (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $4.4k to $6.5k per month (mid $5.4k)
- Opportunity score: $5.4k/month at x1.00 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 20.9k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $140.1k
- Review sentiment: 96% positive across 742 reviews (653 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 32.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 1 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 2 months ago
- Store page localized in only 3 language(s)

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $9.9k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $8.6k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $7.8k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $5.4k |

## Monthly review counts, oldest to newest (17 months)

90, 88, 35, 11, 28, 59, 31, 11, 27, 40, 38, 18, 37, 34, 33, 40, 33

## Markets by review language

- spanish: 1% (game NOT localized in this language)
- schinese: 4% (game NOT localized in this language)
- brazilian: 1% (game NOT localized in this language)
- french: 6% (game NOT localized in this language)
- german: 22%
- english: 64%
- russian: 3% (game NOT localized in this language)

Localization gap: 14% of measured reviews are written in languages the game does not support (top: french). Localizing is likely immediate market expansion.

## 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/2058730
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.