# Kona

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

- Steam appid: 365160
- Developer: Parabole
- Released: 2017 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $14.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.2k to $1.7k per month (mid $1.4k)
- Opportunity score: $2.8k/month at x1.90 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 151.9k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $489.3k
- Review sentiment: 83% positive across 3663 reviews (2761 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 18.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 2.9 years
- Studio active elsewhere (2 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 33 months ago
- Last discounted 0 months ago, 7 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) | $2.3k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.1k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.4k |

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

8, 10, 8, 24, 13, 13, 24, 22, 14, 8, 13, 22, 11, 14, 17, 6, 19, 61, 26, 13, 18, 20, 7, 24

## Estimated acquisition range

$34.8k to $69.6k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $17.4k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Kona is a 2017 survival-adventure game set in a frozen Canadian wilderness where players investigate a mysterious disappearance while managing cold, hunger, and inventory.

Kona has generated $489k lifetime revenue across ~152k units with a solid 82.8% positive review ratio and maintains $1.45k/mo residual income despite zero developer engagement in 34 months. The game occupies a defensible niche (survival + narrative + open-world exploration) with low churn and demonstrates real staying power in a quiet but stable audience; it's a credible acquisition target for a publisher seeking low-risk, high-margin backlist depth or a platform (console, mobile, VR) expansion play.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (tech): 33 months since last build update; compatibility and performance bugs may accumulate on new OS versions or hardware without maintenance.
- Risk (market): Survival-adventure genre is crowded (The Long Dark, Grounded, etc.); category velocity and player discovery have likely plateaued.
- Risk (other): Developer (Parabole) has only 2 titles and no forum activity in 34 months, suggesting limited post-acquisition support capacity.

What players are asking for:
- Better prologue pacing and tutorials to reduce friction in early hours
- Quality-of-life improvements to inventory and weight management
- Deck and modern platform support (game is playable on Deck but may need optimization)

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit the codebase for OS/driver compatibility and Proton/Deck performance; identify low-cost stabilization patches that could unlock console ports.
2. Model a discounted bundle or franchise expansion (sequel, prequel, or spiritual successor) to test whether the IP has brand recognition within the survival-adventure cohort.
3. Contact Parabole to assess whether developer would accept a publishing or licensing deal; given studio size and inactivity, acquisition of the IP may be realistic if the studio is winding down.

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/365160
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.