# States of Power

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

**Measured on 2026-08-30 03:25 UTC.** The whole Steam catalog is re-measured daily; a game that just launched can move a lot between passes.

- Steam appid: 3126500
- Developer: Sarunas
- Released: 2026 · Genre: Simulation · List price: $11.99
- Deal grade: C (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $14.0k to $21.0k per month (mid $17.5k)
- Opportunity score: $17.5k/month at x1.00 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 7.3k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $29.4k
- Review sentiment: 90% positive across 193 reviews (183 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 174.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 0 months ago
- Last build shipped 0 months ago

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $31.8k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $27.6k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $25.0k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $17.5k |

## Markets by review language

- german: 5%
- english: 68%
- russian: 5% (game NOT localized in this language)
- spanish: 2%
- japanese: 1%
- schinese: 15%
- brazilian: 1%
- french: 3%

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

_Note written 2026-08-28 from that day's data; the figures in the header are live and supersede any numbers here._

States of Power is a streamlined grand-strategy sandbox game positioning itself as an accessible alternative to Hearts of Iron 4, with built-in scenario editor and multi-era historical starts.

This title has found a specific and satisfied niche: strategy players fatigued by Hearts of Iron 4's complexity but still hungry for map painting and military sim depth. With a mid-sized active base, solid review sentiment above 92%, and recurring player praise for ease of entry and modding potential, it represents quiet but steady residual revenue. The opportunity lies in light localization work (Russian speakers note friction), modest content drops (peace conference depth, economy rebalancing), and potential licensing of the scenario editor as a community-content platform. The developer's single-title status and apparent dormancy in public engagement suggest either a bootstrapped operation or a title awaiting revival capital.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (market): Direct positioning as Hearts of Iron 4 lite means players' perception is permanently anchored to Paradox's title; any content drought will drive churn back to the incumbent.
- Risk (tech): Scenario editor is a key retention hook and differentiator, but community-generated content quality and tooling maturity are not documented in available signals.
- Risk (other): Developer has posted zero updates or communications on Steam in the tracked period, raising questions about active maintenance and roadmap commitment.

What players are asking for:
- Peace conference system with territorial negotiation and war settlement mechanics
- Economy and population regeneration balance pass to enable more varied strategic approaches
- Diplomatic depth: constitutional/law changes, country relations chat, focus trees or equivalent agency
- More granular map editing: province merge/split, tweaking, and custom territory tools

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit the scenario editor ecosystem: map adoption, workshop participation, and content creator engagement. If adoption is high, consider formalizing a creator fund or revenue-share model to bootstrap a self-sustaining content cycle.
2. Commission a light Russian and Simplified Chinese localization pass (8% and 15% of review volume respectively) to unlock dormant regional players and test price elasticity in underserved markets.
3. Secure a roadmap commitment from the developer and publish it: two focused updates over six months (peace conference + economy rebalance, then diplomatic mechanics) will signal to the mid-sized owner base that investment is planned, reinvigorating monthly reviews and residuals.

Generated 2026-08-28 from public signals and player reviews. Directional, not diligence.

## Methodology

Units are estimated from Steam-purchase reviews times a release-cohort multiplier, 40-75x by year. Cohorts from 2020 on are calibrated against 182 sales milestones announced by developers; older ones follow the published Boxleiter tables. 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/3126500
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when you publish or quote these estimates.