# Bus Simulator 18

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

- Steam appid: 515180
- Developer: stillalive studios
- Publisher: astragon Entertainment
- Released: 2018 · Genre: Simulation · List price: $14.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $3.4k to $5.1k per month (mid $4.2k)
- Opportunity score: $6.3k/month at x1.50 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 436.9k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.4M
- Review sentiment: 81% positive across 13651 reviews (8737 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 52.3 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 2 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (8 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 5.3 years ago
- Last discounted 0 months ago, 10 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 | $7.7k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $6.7k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $6.0k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $4.2k |

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

39, 46, 36, 56, 58, 26, 26, 32, 23, 24, 28, 30, 22, 22, 34, 28, 55, 46, 49, 37, 46, 34, 87, 61

## Estimated acquisition range

$101.2k to $202.3k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $50.6k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A 2018 bus-driving simulator with 81% positive reviews that generates $4.2k/mo in residual revenue despite chronic stability issues.

Bus Simulator 18 sits in an awkward position: it has solid community approval (81% positive, 13.6k reviews) and steady monthly revenue ($4.2k/mo), but stability bugs block a material share of potential players and limit word-of-mouth growth. The franchise has evolved into Bus Simulator 27, making this a legacy asset. For a publisher with runtime-support bandwidth or a studio seeking a stable sim revenue stream with low churn, the title could justify modest acquisition or a targeted technical remediation campaign, but the window is narrow before the audience fully migrates to newer entries.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (tech): Recurring crash-on-load and mid-session freeze reports suggest engine or compatibility issues that may require non-trivial rework; developer stillalive studios has not posted in 2.3 months.
- Risk (market): Franchise sequel (Bus Simulator 27) is the newer attraction; players are migrating upmarket, limiting ceiling for revival without feature parity.
- Risk (other): 35.9% key-share exposure indicates heavy gray-market distribution, which complicates revenue forecasting and relationship continuity.

What players are asking for:
- Fix crash-on-load and mid-session freeze issues (mentioned in 3 of 10 reviews)
- Improve keybinding and control customization
- Add more realistic vehicle physics and route variety

Suggested first moves:
1. Commission a runtime stability audit focusing on crash-on-load, freeze-after-N-minutes, and driver/OS compatibility patterns; confirm whether fixes are feasible within 4-6 weeks of engineering effort.
2. Map the player overlap between Bus Simulator 18 and Bus Simulator 27; estimate the cost of a point-release patch that fixes top 3 reported bugs and whether it would retain $X in monthly residual revenue or unlock upgrade sales to the sequel.
3. Evaluate the 35.9% key-share exposure: clarify licensing terms with Astragon Entertainment and confirm whether gray-market keys are cannibalizing full-price revenue or expanding net addressable market.

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/515180
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.