# Planes, Bullets and Vodka

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

- Steam appid: 562360
- Developer: NukGames
- Released: 2016 · Genre: Action · List price: $4.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $2.3k to $3.4k per month (mid $2.8k)
- Opportunity score: $3.7k/month at x1.30 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 183.9k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $197.2k
- Review sentiment: 85% positive across 3056 reviews (2829 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 105.8 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 4 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (8 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 28 months ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 7 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 | $5.2k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $4.5k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $4.1k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $2.8k |

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

18, 24, 16, 26, 28, 35, 19, 33, 18, 22, 39, 54, 24, 30, 172, 42, 95, 79, 47, 52, 262, 180, 49, 45

## Estimated acquisition range

$68.1k to $136.2k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $34.1k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A roguelike arcade bullet-hell shooter where you pilot a vodka-fueled Soviet plane through procedurally generated waves of enemies.

Planes, Bullets and Vodka has quietly accumulated $197K lifetime revenue on $4.99 pricing with 85% positive sentiment and 106 reviews per month over six months, indicating steady organic discovery among arcade enthusiasts. At $2.8K/mo residual, it's a stable mid-tail performer with room for revival through marketing to bullet-hell communities, mobile ports, or bundle integration; the Russian theme and absurdist tone suggest underexploited IP licensing potential in peripherals or esports content.

- Most realistic play: revival
- Risk (market): Bullet-hell genre is saturated; differentiation relies entirely on tone and Soviet aesthetic, which has limited mainstream appeal outside niche communities.
- Risk (tech): Last developer post was 4.4 months ago; no signals of active development, and procedural generation may lack the hand-crafted level design that drives long-term engagement in the genre.
- Risk (other): Positive sentiment is high (85%) but absolute review velocity is moderate, suggesting strong retention among existing players but weak new-user acquisition channels.

What players are asking for:
- Difficulty tuning and balance feedback on early-game learning curve
- Additional planes or cosmetic unlock progression
- Multiplayer or leaderboard features

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit the game's current retention funnel (Day 1, Day 7, Day 30) and A/B test onboarding difficulty ramping to reduce early-session abandonment.
2. Explore a free-to-play or demo release on itch.io or a Steam free weekend to capture the 1.4 elasticity effect and test marketing ROI.
3. Evaluate mobile port feasibility (iOS, Android) given roguelike arcade games' strong performance on mobile storefronts and the title's minimal graphics overhead.

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/562360
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.