# Yomawari: Night Alone

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

- Steam appid: 477870
- Developer: Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
- Publisher: NIS America, Inc.
- Released: 2016 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.0k to $1.5k per month (mid $1.3k)
- Opportunity score: $2.7k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 126.0k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $541.3k
- Review sentiment: 75% positive across 2319 reviews (1938 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 12.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 7.9 years
- Studio active elsewhere (20 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 9.7 years ago
- Store page localized in only 2 language(s)
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 5 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 | $2.3k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $2.0k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $1.8k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.3k |

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

5, 19, 13, 21, 9, 14, 5, 13, 9, 17, 6, 15, 7, 14, 20, 22, 13, 5, 11, 13, 7, 8, 11, 22

## Estimated acquisition range

$30.9k to $61.9k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $15.5k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2016 top-down horror-adventure from Nippon Ichi Software where a young girl navigates a creepy night town to find her way home.

Yomawari: Night Alone has generated $541k lifetime on modest sales (126k units) and still earns $1,289/mo, but PC stability issues and sequencing confusion (players note Lost in the Dark, the prequel, plays better) limit its upside. The title remains a quiet catalog earner for NIS America, with a 75% positive rating and dormant but stable community. Acquisition makes sense only as part of a broader NIS catalog strategy; standalone revival would require porting to Switch/handheld (where it plays better) or fixing PC implementation.

- Most realistic play: watch
- Risk (tech): PC build has known stability and compatibility issues that drive refunds and negative word-of-mouth; handheld versions outperform.
- Risk (market): Franchise sequencing problem: this is book two, but players report the first game (Lost in the Dark) has aged better, limiting new-player conversion.
- Risk (other): Studio status is fading (94 months since last dev post); support and future content unlikely without external intervention.

What players are asking for:
- Fix PC stability and compatibility issues to match handheld experience
- Clarify game order; market as sequel with Lost in the Dark bundled or discounted
- Port or optimize for modern handheld platforms where the game allegedly runs better

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit PC codebase and compatibility layer; consider a $0 update to fix crashes and restore player goodwill (low cost, high leverage for catalog health).
2. Evaluate Switch/handheld porting or re-release with frame-rate/stability improvements; handheld is the native experience players prefer.
3. If acquiring NIS catalog, bundle this with Lost in the Dark and later Yomawari titles to reframe the series and reduce return rate; current $19.99 price is defensible only in a bundle context.

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/477870
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.