# We Need To Go Deeper

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

- Steam appid: 307110
- Developer: Deli Interactive LLC
- Released: 2019 · Genre: Action · List price: $15.99
- 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: $2.3k/month at x1.60 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 186.0k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $639.3k
- Review sentiment: 86% positive across 6049 reviews (4650 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 16.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 2.7 years
- Studio quiet across its whole catalog
- Last build shipped 16 months ago
- Store page localized in only 1 language(s)
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 11 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.7 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) | $2.2k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.0k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.4k |

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

23, 8, 16, 17, 24, 14, 38, 22, 18, 14, 17, 15, 21, 12, 16, 5, 9, 42, 14, 19, 10, 25, 13, 18

## Estimated acquisition range

$34.0k to $68.1k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $17.0k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

We Need To Go Deeper is a 2D roguelike submarine exploration game combining cooperative dungeon crawling with resource management.

This indie action title has maintained 86% positive sentiment and $1.4k/mo residual revenue across 186k lifetime units despite complete developer silence for 33 months. The strong community engagement (16.5 reviews/mo), high elasticity (1.66), and dormant studio present a rare opportunity for a publisher seeking a low-risk co-op catalog title to revive with minimal content investment or a developer looking to acquire a profitable franchise with established audience goodwill.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (tech): 15+ months since last build suggests potential compatibility drift on newer Steam clients or unpatched crash bugs.
- Risk (market): Cooperative roguelikes are competitive; success depends on differentiation beyond current feature set.
- Risk (other): Single-title studio with no recent communication raises questions about IP transfer, asset quality, and developer availability for post-acquisition support.

What players are asking for:
- Content expansion (new submarine types, biomes, or boss mechanics)
- Balance tweaks and difficulty scaling for longer play sessions
- Online multiplayer improvements or cross-platform support
- Quality-of-life updates (UI refinement, controller support consistency)

Suggested first moves:
1. Contact Deli Interactive to confirm IP ownership, asset repository access, and developer availability for a handoff call; verify no outstanding licensing or music rights encumbrances.
2. Audit the codebase for engine compatibility (likely GMS or Unity version) and prioritize a hot-fix build for latest OS/client versions to unlock latent sales from storefront visibility.
3. Survey existing community on Discord/forums about appetite for specific expansions (seasonal content, PvP modes, cosmetics) to validate a 12-18 month revival roadmap and forecast post-update attach rate.

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/307110
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.