# Ultimate Fishing Simulator®

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

- Steam appid: 468920
- Developer: Ultimate Games S.A.
- Released: 2018 · Genre: Casual · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $4.9k to $7.3k per month (mid $6.1k)
- Opportunity score: $8.0k/month at x1.30 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 407.6k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.8M
- Review sentiment: 89% positive across 9051 reviews (8152 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 57.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 0 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (2 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 31 months ago

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $11.1k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $9.7k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $8.8k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $6.1k |

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

46, 65, 66, 101, 69, 85, 39, 83, 42, 37, 164, 164, 82, 91, 107, 54, 60, 44, 34, 79, 38, 56, 85, 50

## Estimated acquisition range

$146.9k to $293.9k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $73.5k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A casual fishing simulator with relaxation appeal, VR support, and multiplayer social features that generates ~$6.1k/mo in residual revenue despite technical rough edges.

Ultimate Fishing Simulator occupies a quiet but profitable niche: it holds 407k lifetime units and $1.75M lifetime net, sustains $6.1k/mo residual revenue, and maintains 89% positive review score with active developer (last post 6 days ago). The core appeal is durable: solo relaxation play, real-world fishing knowledge transfer, controller support, and genuine community presence. However, technical debt (performance, physics bugs, crashes) and a UI/UX designed for the 2018 era are suppressing both word-of-mouth and retention. A revival play targeting console ports, technical polish, and modern feature parity (DLSS, better graphics pipeline) could unlock dormant sales without cannibalizing existing casual audience.

- Most realistic play: revival
- Risk (tech): Widespread player complaints about crashes, broken drag physics, and poor performance scaling (especially 4K) suggest the Unity engine integration or rendering pipeline needs modernization; remaster claims are not matching player experience.
- Risk (market): Fishing-game genre is niche and mature; competitors like Fishing Planet (with aggressive monetization) and Call of the Wild: The Angler (superior graphics) occupy the premium and free-to-play tiers respectively, limiting ceiling for this mid-market entry.
- Risk (other): 99% discount frequency (current $1.19 price vs $19.99 list) has trained customers to never pay full price and may indicate launch pricing miscalibration or aggressive key-reseller channel strategy (9.9% key share tracked).

What players are asking for:
- Performance and crash stability fixes, especially at 4K and on higher-end systems
- Improved fishing physics and drag mechanics (currently perceived as broken or overly nerfed)
- Visual modernization: DLSS support, updated textures, and modern graphics pipeline matching Unity 2022 capabilities
- Quest/progression systems or endgame content beyond achievement hunting

Suggested first moves:
1. Commission a technical audit of the physics engine, crash telemetry, and rendering pipeline to scope a 'stability + modernization' roadmap; prioritize DLSS, memory optimization for 4K, and drag-system rebalance.
2. Explore console ports (Switch, PlayStation, Xbox): fishing-game audience skews casual/older and has strong hardware overlap with console installed base; current Steam presence is 407k units, so 20-30% console attach could add $500k-$1M+ lifetime.
3. Test a seasonal content drop (new fishing locations, realistic tackle progression, beginner-to-expert difficulty ladders) as low-cost retention lever; current player base has shown 30-90h commitment at $1.19 price point, indicating strong word-of-mouth potential if onboarding and progression are tightened.

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/468920
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.