# Stranded Deep

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

- Steam appid: 313120
- Developer: Beam Team Games
- Publisher: Beam Team Publishing
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $17.2k to $25.8k per month (mid $21.5k)
- Opportunity score: $27.9k/month at x1.30 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 1.4M · Est. lifetime net revenue: $6.9M
- Review sentiment: 74% positive across 47767 reviews (43507 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 172.3 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 2 months ago
- Last build shipped 31 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 4 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 | $39.0k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $33.9k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $30.7k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $21.5k |

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

175, 182, 163, 159, 191, 224, 314, 180, 139, 157, 170, 148, 156, 110, 125, 133, 194, 219, 142, 198, 142, 237, 168, 147

## Estimated acquisition range

$515.4k to $1.0M (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $257.7k/year). Same error range applies.

## Markets by review language

- french: 4%
- english: 63%
- russian: 12% (game NOT localized in this language)
- japanese: 0% (game NOT localized in this language)
- schinese: 7% (game NOT localized in this language)
- german: 6%
- koreana: 1% (game NOT localized in this language)
- spanish: 3%
- brazilian: 4% (game NOT localized in this language)

Localization gap: 24% of measured reviews are written in languages the game does not support (top: russian). Localizing is likely immediate market expansion.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A single and multiplayer island survival game where players craft, explore, and manage resources after a plane crash.

Stranded Deep has generated $6.9M lifetime revenue and maintains $21.5K/mo residual income on modest $19.99 pricing, with 74% positive reviews despite persistent technical friction. The multiplayer systems are broken enough that buyers should audit code quality before acquisition, but the core survival loop and steady player base (172 reviews/mo) suggest IP value for a studio with engineering capacity to address save data corruption, physics bugs, and netcode sync issues. Best suited for a capable indie or mid-tier publisher willing to invest in a 2.0 pass rather than a quick license flip.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (tech): Mac build has save data corruption on every session; multiplayer suffers from desync and loading screens exceeding 10 minutes, alienating the co-op audience the game targets.
- Risk (market): Survival genre is saturated (Raft, SurrounDead mentioned in reviews); player feedback suggests mid-tier quality limits appeal to hardcore genre fans and casual players alike.
- Risk (other): Crafting progression gates feel grindy (20+ refined spears to defeat bosses by luck); UI/UX friction noted across reviews suggests design debt accumulated since launch.

What players are asking for:
- Functional multiplayer with reliable save sync and acceptable load times
- Clearer tutorials and less opaque progression gating
- Less frequent hunger/thirst consumption or smarter survival balance
- Boss encounters redesigned to reward skill, not attrition

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit multiplayer netcode and save serialization; quantify repair cost vs. revenue uplift from fixing co-op and Mac stability.
2. Analyze player cohort retention by feature: solo vs. multiplayer, tutorial completion, early-game churn points; identify quick wins (tutorials, balancing) vs. deep refactors.
3. Survey Russian player base (4.5K reviews, 24% localization gap) on willingness to pay for improved stability; consider regional pricing and community management as part of acquisition due diligence.

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/313120
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.