# Project Highrise

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

- Steam appid: 423580
- Developer: SomaSim
- Publisher: Kasedo Games
- Released: 2016 · Genre: Simulation · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.2k to $1.8k per month (mid $1.5k)
- Opportunity score: $3.1k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 251.9k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.1M
- Review sentiment: 85% positive across 4811 reviews (3876 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 13.7 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 5.0 years
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 7.7 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 8 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.4 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $2.7k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $2.3k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.1k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.5k |

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

11, 8, 15, 10, 30, 22, 13, 28, 25, 18, 11, 12, 11, 27, 23, 24, 18, 11, 11, 7, 18, 16, 13, 17

## Estimated acquisition range

$35.2k to $70.5k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $17.6k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Project Highrise is a vertical-city building simulation where players design and manage skyscrapers balancing tenant satisfaction, revenue, and construction logistics.

This 2016 SomaSim title has quietly accumulated $1.08M lifetime revenue across 252k units with strong community satisfaction (85% positive), yet generates only $1.47k/mo residual despite minimal recent dev engagement. The franchise lacks active developer support (59.7 months since last post, studio status inactive), making it an acquisition candidate for a publisher seeking a profitable, low-maintenance catalog sim with proven long-tail appeal and Sim Tower nostalgia positioning.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (tech): 92+ months since build with no reported engine or OS compatibility updates; risk of degradation on newer hardware/OS versions without ongoing maintenance.
- Risk (market): Genre saturation and player migration to free-to-play city builders; $19.99 price point with 1.4 price elasticity suggests moderate pricing sensitivity.
- Risk (other): 19.4% key share indicates significant non-Steam revenue leakage; acquisition does not guarantee control of full catalog economics.

What players are asking for:
- Deeper balancing mechanics and strategic complexity beyond initial tutorial learning curve
- New building types, tenant classes, or modernization systems to extend mid-to-late game engagement
- Cross-platform or mobile adaptation to reach broader audiences

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit IP ownership, trademark status, and any outstanding licensing obligations (e.g., art, music, middleware) to confirm clear acquisition title.
2. Model content roadmap (new building archetypes, tenant profiles, economy depth) against typical sim player retention curves to forecast incremental revenue from modest post-acquisition updates.
3. Evaluate porting feasibility to Switch/mobile and assess overlap with existing publishing pipeline to amortize localization and platform support across multiple titles.

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/423580
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.