# Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2

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

- Steam appid: 34870
- Developer: City Interactive
- Publisher: CI Games
- Released: 2013 · Genre: Action · List price: $9.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $2.7k to $4.1k per month (mid $3.4k)
- Opportunity score: $5.2k/month at x1.50 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 1.0M · Est. lifetime net revenue: $2.2M
- Review sentiment: 76% positive across 18744 reviews (13676 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 64.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 12 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 13.2 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 8 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.9 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $6.2k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $5.4k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $4.9k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $3.4k |

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

29, 35, 150, 86, 69, 59, 33, 49, 36, 31, 79, 68, 37, 60, 42, 54, 71, 64, 54, 51, 71, 79, 49, 80

## Estimated acquisition range

$82.5k to $164.9k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $41.2k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 is a 2013 stealth-shooter from CI Games set in jungle and mountain environments where players execute precision sniper missions with limited saves and permadeath consequences.

This title generates $3.4k/mo in residual revenue with a 75.8% positive rate despite serious technical debt (crashes, save bugs, scaling issues). The franchise remains dormant and the developer is small, making acquisition of the IP a viable play for a publisher seeking an established stealth-sandbox catalog entry. The core loop is sound but execution and stability are the barrier to revival; a technical port or remaster could unlock forgotten sales.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (tech): Recurring reports of crashes, freezes, audio loss, and broken autosave spanning 11+ years suggest deep engine or platform-layer issues; full QA and potential rebuild required.
- Risk (market): Only 8 sales in trailing 12 months and minimal developer activity (11.7 months since last post) indicate the title has reached terminal decay; revival would require marketing investment beyond acquisition cost.
- Risk (other): No manual save option frustrates players; loss of progress on mission failure is a design liability that modern players reject.

What players are asking for:
- Manual save functionality (critical pain point across multiple reviews)
- Crash and freeze fixes, especially audio stability
- Increased difficulty modes (Expert mode exists but praised players want harder)
- Sequel greenlight (one player explicitly willing to buy SGW3)

Suggested first moves:
1. Commission a technical audit on the engine state, particularly save/crash and audio subsystems, to scope a stability patch or port (likely 4-12 weeks of work).
2. Evaluate franchise IP ownership status and whether CI Games would license or sell outright; confirm no outstanding third-party engine or middleware licensing impediments.
3. Test a limited revival campaign: bundle with Sniper: Ghost Warrior 1 or 3, apply a structural fix to save/crash, and relaunch with updated store listing; measure 6-month uptick against current $3.4k/mo baseline.

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/34870
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.