# Distance

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

- Steam appid: 233610
- Developer: Refract
- Released: 2018 · Genre: Action · List price: $24.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $2.1k to $3.2k per month (mid $2.7k)
- Opportunity score: $5.1k/month at x1.90 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 290.8k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.6M
- Review sentiment: 92% positive across 7582 reviews (5815 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 20.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 2.1 years
- Studio quiet across its whole catalog
- Last build shipped 26 months ago
- Store page localized in only 1 language(s)
- Last discounted 0 months ago, 5 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.3 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $4.9k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $4.2k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $3.8k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $2.7k |

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

16, 10, 13, 15, 24, 24, 27, 5, 9, 41, 15, 50, 65, 19, 12, 22, 38, 29, 13, 33, 19, 19, 11, 25

## Estimated acquisition range

$64.5k to $128.9k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $32.2k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Distance is a high-speed futuristic arcade racer with sci-fi horror atmosphere, wall-riding, and physics-based destruction set to an electronic soundtrack.

Distance earned $1.56M lifetime on 290K units sold and still generates $2.7K/mo residual revenue with 92% positive reviews, despite minimal developer attention in 26 months. The game's core mechanic (synchronizing speed, precision, and music) has no close competitors, and its 367-hour and 13-hour play sessions signal deep engagement. Opportunity lies in controller support fixes, seasonal content licensing, or acquisition by a publisher willing to fund modest maintenance and cross-promotion within a dormant but beloved niche.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (tech): Multiple recent reviews flag Xbox controller crashes and lack of full controller support 8 years post-launch; fixing input stability is table stakes for revival.
- Risk (market): Developer status listed as 'fading' with only 1 studio title and no dev communication in 25 months; unclear whether they have capacity or interest in updates.
- Risk (other): Elasticity of 1.29 and 23% key-share suggest price-sensitive audience; aggressive discounting erodes margin despite high engagement.

What players are asking for:
- Reliable controller/gamepad support (Xbox, PlayStation, generic)
- New seasonal challenge maps or user-creation tools expansion
- Horror atmosphere formalization (tag clarification, atmosphere deepening)
- Performance optimization for lower-spec hardware

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit controller input code and release a point patch; prioritize Xbox and DualShock stability, as this is the single blocker preventing controller-first players from sustained play.
2. Initiate outreach to Refract to assess willingness to grant co-publishing rights or source-code access; establish whether a $10K-30K QA and bug-fix sprint is feasible under current studio constraints.
3. Analyze seasonal content expansion ROI: commission 3-4 new challenge maps or a themed 'horror night mode' and test sales lift in existing $2.7K/mo baseline to validate growth to $4K-5K/mo.

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/233610
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.