# Beat Cop

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

- Steam appid: 461950
- Developer: Pixel Crow
- Publisher: 11 bit studios
- Released: 2017 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $14.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $2.0k to $2.9k per month (mid $2.5k)
- Opportunity score: $5.2k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 265.3k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $854.7k
- Review sentiment: 82% positive across 6184 reviews (4823 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 30.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 3.5 years
- Studio inactive: no public activity across 1 tracked titles
- Last build shipped 5.7 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 8 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.6 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $4.5k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $3.9k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $3.5k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $2.5k |

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

33, 33, 26, 24, 42, 39, 27, 37, 20, 20, 55, 65, 58, 43, 34, 44, 47, 43, 24, 45, 22, 30, 23, 39

## Estimated acquisition range

$59.0k to $117.9k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $29.5k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2017 narrative adventure where you play a beat cop managing precinct politics, street encounters, and moral choices across a single Brooklyn block.

Beat Cop has generated $855k lifetime on 265k units with steady 2.5k/mo residual revenue, 82% positive reviews, and an 11 bit studios publishing deal backing it. The game's bugs and narrow scope limit mainstream appeal, but its writing quality and decision-impact gameplay create durable player affinity. This is a quiet catalog hold for patient publishers, not a revival play; the developer appears inactive (42 months since last post), so acquisition would mean stewarding an orphaned but profitable franchise IP.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (tech): Player reviews consistently flag bugs in core interactions (cuffing, NPC tagging, movement glitches), suggesting codebase fragility that could resurface if ported or updated.
- Risk (market): Genre is niche narrative adventure with sub-10-hour playtime; mainstream audience has moved to larger-scope detective and cop sims.
- Risk (other): Developer studio status shows inactive; no post-launch support or patches in 42+ months indicates abandonment of live iteration.

What players are asking for:
- Bug fixes for core actions (cuffing, tagging robbers, character movement)
- Ability to complete game without progression-blocking glitches
- Clarity on multiple endings and consequences system

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit the codebase for reproducible bugs mentioned in reviews (NPC state, action triggers, player locomotion) and estimate fix scope before committing to acquisition.
2. Interview 11 bit studios on licensing terms, publishing exclusivity, and whether Pixel Crow retains any ongoing rights or claims.
3. Test price elasticity (1.56x) and regional key-share (22%) to model post-acquisition pricing and sales-channel strategy; consider light sale cadence to sustain $2.5k/mo floor.

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/461950
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.