# Transport Fever

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

- Steam appid: 446800
- Developer: Urban Games
- Publisher: Good Shepherd Entertainment
- Released: 2016 · Genre: Simulation · List price: $29.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.3k to $1.9k per month (mid $1.6k)
- Opportunity score: $3.0k/month at x1.85 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 602.5k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $3.9M
- Review sentiment: 83% positive across 10838 reviews (9270 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 10.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 15 months
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 3.4 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 6 sales in the last 12 months

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $2.9k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $2.5k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.3k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.6k |

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

8, 18, 6, 14, 13, 16, 13, 12, 9, 15, 13, 9, 12, 5, 10, 11, 12, 12, 14, 8, 7, 8, 15, 8

## Estimated acquisition range

$38.7k to $77.4k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $19.3k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A city-building and transport-management simulation where players construct and optimize railway, bus, and shipping networks across historical eras.

Transport Fever sits at $1,611/mo residual revenue on a $3.9M lifetime base, with 83% positive sentiment and consistent 10 reviews/month engagement, suggesting a quiet but stable audience. The title is a natural fit for publishing revival (port to console, regional marketing push) or acquisition by a tycoon-game publisher seeking low-maintenance IP with proven long-tail retention. Community remains active in sandbox play; primary friction is aging visuals and occasional stability issues, not design fatigue.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (market): Transport sims face intense competition from newer titles (Planet Coaster 2, Two Point Hospital sequels) and free-to-play alternatives; recapturing mainstream awareness requires significant marketing spend or platform leverage.
- Risk (tech): Game is 8+ years old with no developer patch in 15 months; engine modernization or console port would require substantial technical lift to justify against residual $1.9k/mo high case.
- Risk (other): Player feedback hints at unresolved bugs ("buggy" comment despite 146h playtime suggests tolerance, not satisfaction); regression testing would be mandatory pre-revival.

What players are asking for:
- Native console ports (Switch, PlayStation, Xbox) to reach couch-play audience
- Visual refresh or modernized UI to reduce friction for new players
- Expanded map and scenario content for long-tail players

Suggested first moves:
1. License console publishing rights; Transport Fever's turn-based, pauseable flow suits handheld play and appeals to underserved tycoon audience on Nintendo Switch.
2. Audit codebase for critical bugs and performance bottlenecks; even minimal stabilization patch + Steam announcement could trigger 20-30% review velocity spike based on historical sales velocity patterns.
3. Evaluate regional marketing test (Japan, Benelux) where tycoon/railway sims retain premium pricing power; current 14% key-reseller share suggests limited geographic saturation.

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/446800
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.