# Tricky Towers

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

- Steam appid: 437920
- Developer: WeirdBeard
- Released: 2016 · Genre: Casual · List price: $14.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $3.5k to $5.2k per month (mid $4.4k)
- Opportunity score: $6.5k/month at x1.50 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 803.8k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $2.6M
- Review sentiment: 90% positive across 16468 reviews (12366 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 54.2 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 1 months ago
- Last build shipped 6.9 years ago
- Last discounted 0 months ago, 7 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.5 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $7.9k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $6.9k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $6.2k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $4.4k |

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

72, 63, 106, 108, 109, 74, 105, 76, 74, 81, 60, 75, 55, 54, 67, 45, 96, 92, 40, 68, 50, 32, 62, 73

## Estimated acquisition range

$104.7k to $209.4k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $52.4k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Tricky Towers is a physics-based multiplayer puzzle game that remixes Tetris with gravity, rotation chaos, and competitive building mechanics.

Tricky Towers remains a strong performer, generating $4.4k/mo residual revenue on 2.6M lifetime gross with 90% positive sentiment and 54 reviews/mo, a remarkable figure for a 2016 casual title. The title is ideally positioned for publisher acquisition or revival campaign targeting couch/party gaming, though online multiplayer infrastructure appears dormant and represents the primary liability. For studios seeking evergreen casual IP with proven retention curves, this represents genuinely overlooked catalog value.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (multiplayer): Online matchmaking appears inactive; core audience play is local/couch, limiting expansion into competitive esports or live-service models.
- Risk (tech): Controller remapping and input flexibility issues cited in refunds; legacy codebase (83 months old) may require modernization for console ports or cross-platform play.
- Risk (market): Niche casual audience with elasticity of 1.49 suggests price sensitivity; 24.9% key-reseller share indicates distribution leakage.

What players are asking for:
- Sequel or expanded game with new modes and abilities (referenced explicitly)
- Stable online multiplayer and shorter matchmaking queues
- Controller/keyboard remapping and input customization
- Console versions or broader platform support

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit current player counts, queue times, and server infrastructure; determine cost of revival vs. sunset for online mode, and whether local/couch focus alone sustains monetization.
2. License the IP to a mobile or casual-gaming publisher (e.g., Devolver, Annapurna) to port to Switch or mobile with cross-play; couch gaming and party trends favor handheld revival.
3. Commission a lightweight content update: cosmetics, new tower themes, and 2-4 new challenge modes to re-spike reviews and extend lifetime value; dev post frequency suggests availability (0.57 months since last update).

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/437920
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.