# Chaos on Deponia

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

- Steam appid: 220740
- Developer: Daedalic Entertainment
- Released: 2012 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $3.0k to $4.5k per month (mid $3.8k)
- Opportunity score: $7.9k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 188.8k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $811.1k
- Review sentiment: 90% positive across 3121 reviews (2517 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 35.2 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 11.9 years
- Studio quiet across its whole catalog
- Last build shipped 9.8 years ago

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $6.9k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $6.0k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $5.4k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $3.8k |

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

16, 7, 10, 10, 11, 25, 9, 14, 15, 6, 13, 17, 13, 5, 9, 9, 12, 19, 10, 80, 44, 30, 25, 22

## Estimated acquisition range

$90.7k to $181.3k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $45.3k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A hand-drawn point-and-click adventure sequel set in the absurdist world of Deponia, following the hapless antihero Rufus through environmental puzzles and character-driven comedy.

Chaos on Deponia remains a quiet earner, pulling $3.7k-$3.8k/mo in net revenue nine years after launch with 90% positive sentiment and steady review velocity (35/mo average). The game sits in Daedalic's strong adventure catalog and benefits from the studio's enduring brand loyalty among genre enthusiasts. For a publisher seeking backlist depth or a developer interested in point-and-click IP, the franchise has proven staying power, though the studio's fading status and zero discounting in two years signal possible deprioritization. Best-case play is a revival partner (console port, remaster, or bundling with the trilogy) rather than acquisition.

- Most realistic play: revival
- Risk (market): Point-and-click adventure genre has shrunk significantly since 2012; niche audience limits ceiling on residual and new sales alike.
- Risk (tech): No discount activity in 143+ days and zero sales recorded in the past 12 months suggest the title has fallen out of active marketing rotation at Daedalic.
- Risk (other): Puzzle logic becomes opaque mid-game (per reviews), potentially limiting appeal to casual adventure players and creating friction for streamer/influencer campaigns.

What players are asking for:
- Console ports (Switch, PlayStation, Xbox) to reach living-room audiences.
- Trilogy bundling or remastered editions with modern UI/accessibility improvements.
- Expanded lore or spin-off titles set in the Deponia universe.

Suggested first moves:
1. License the Deponia IP trilogy from Daedalic Entertainment and survey console publisher interest in a remaster bundle; Chaos is the strongest entry and a logical anchor for a three-game collection.
2. Audit Daedalic's current studio capacity and rights portfolio; if the studio is in financial stress, first-mover advantage exists for acquiring the franchise or negotiating a publishing-services extension.
3. Run a soft launch test on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4/5 in select territories (e.g., Germany, UK) to validate console demand and guide scale-up investment.

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/220740
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.