# Legend of Grimrock

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

- Steam appid: 207170
- Developer: Almost Human Games
- Released: 2012 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $14.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.1k to $1.7k per month (mid $1.4k)
- Opportunity score: $3.0k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 362.0k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.2M
- Review sentiment: 93% positive across 6719 reviews (4827 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 17.8 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 4.4 years
- Studio inactive: no public activity across 2 tracked titles
- Last build shipped 11.3 years ago
- Store page localized in only 1 language(s)
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 10 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.2 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $2.6k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $2.3k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.1k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.4k |

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

16, 17, 12, 19, 25, 22, 11, 16, 9, 26, 13, 16, 11, 16, 16, 18, 26, 29, 20, 21, 20, 19, 4, 23

## Estimated acquisition range

$34.5k to $69.0k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $17.2k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Legend of Grimrock is a 2012 first-person dungeon crawler that revives the Eye of the Beholder / Dungeon Master formula with modern production and real-time grid-based combat.

Grimrock sits in a durable but quiet niche: 93% positive, $1.17M lifetime revenue from 362K sales, and $1.44K/mo residual income 12+ years post-launch. The franchise proved viable enough to spawn a sequel (2014), but both titles now rely on periodic deep discounts (28% key sales, last sale 1 month ago) and a sparse review cadence (18 reviews/mo). For revival or catalog holders, the core risk is technical debt and a fanbase whose enthusiasm peaks around puzzle design and atmosphere rather than narrative or mechanical depth. The IP is owned by Almost Human, now inactive; acquisition or publishing revival would depend on rights availability and appetite for a niche genre with loyal but limited growth ceiling.

- Most realistic play: watch
- Risk (tech): Real-time combat on a 2x2 grid is divisive; negative reviews cite clunky hit detection and kiting as core friction points even among completionists.
- Risk (market): Niche genre; 362K lifetime units over 12 years suggests ceiling around 30-40K annual sales without repositioning, and elasticity of 1.22 implies price cuts yield marginal volume growth.
- Risk (other): Developer studio status listed as inactive; rights holder (Almost Human) has not posted in 53 months, creating uncertainty on IP control, ports, or licensing intent.

What players are asking for:
- Faster experience progression and clearer feedback on skill advancement
- Greater enemy variety and encounters beyond early-game roster
- Logical puzzle design with discernible solutions, not pure trial-and-error
- Narrative depth and voice acting to complement dungeon atmosphere

Suggested first moves:
1. Confirm IP ownership and rights availability with Almost Human Games or successor; model acquisition cost against $1.44K/mo baseline and Grimrock 2 performance (if owned separately).
2. Audit technical debt on the 2012 codebase (engine, network backend if applicable, platform ports); estimate cost of minor QoL patches (combat feedback, UI, puzzle hints) vs. full sequel viability.
3. If revival via publishing deal is feasible, test two low-cost moves: (a) bundle both games at a discount to capture Grimrock 2 players and drive cross-title discovery, or (b) greenlight one community-requested QoL update (e.g., improved hit feedback or optional puzzle hints) to reignite reviews and word-of-mouth among dormant wishlists.

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/207170
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.