# The Zone - FPV Drone Simulator

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

- Steam appid: 3491280
- Developer: Nils Vollenbruch (@nils vo)
- Released: 2025 · Genre: Racing · List price: $13.99
- Deal grade: C (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $3.3k to $5.0k per month (mid $4.2k)
- Opportunity score: $4.2k/month at x1.00 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 11.1k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $52.2k
- Review sentiment: 97% positive across 353 reviews (348 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 35.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 0 months ago
- Last build shipped 0 months ago
- Store page localized in only 1 language(s)

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $7.6k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $6.6k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $6.0k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $4.2k |

## Monthly review counts, oldest to newest (17 months)

3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 4, 11, 16, 15, 21, 27, 27, 47, 33, 45, 32, 29

## Markets by review language

- brazilian: 1% (game NOT localized in this language)
- french: 3% (game NOT localized in this language)
- german: 16% (game NOT localized in this language)
- english: 74%
- koreana: 1% (game NOT localized in this language)
- russian: 2% (game NOT localized in this language)
- spanish: 3% (game NOT localized in this language)
- schinese: 0% (game NOT localized in this language)

Localization gap: 26% of measured reviews are written in languages the game does not support (top: german). Localizing is likely immediate market expansion.

## 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/3491280
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.