# Star Renegades

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

- Steam appid: 651670
- Developer: Massive Damage, Inc.
- Publisher: Raw Fury
- Released: 2020 · Genre: Action · List price: $24.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.3k to $2.0k per month (mid $1.7k)
- Opportunity score: $2.5k/month at x1.50 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 79.8k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $428.8k
- Review sentiment: 83% positive across 3065 reviews (2661 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 12.3 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer active, last post 4 months ago
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 4.6 years ago

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $3.0k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $2.6k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.4k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.7k |

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

12, 8, 25, 12, 17, 21, 27, 18, 24, 13, 25, 22, 7, 9, 7, 6, 17, 22, 10, 22, 12, 11, 7, 12

## Estimated acquisition range

$39.7k to $79.5k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $19.9k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Star Renegades is a turn-based tactical roguelike with procedural enemy lineups and affinity-driven party mechanics.

The game has generated $429k lifetime on 80k units with solid 83% positive sentiment and consistent monthly residual revenue of $1.6k-2k. However, reviews reveal a sharp divide: hardcore fans (100+ hours) praise mechanical depth and art, while broader audiences cite weak narrative, bloated run times, and unintuitive onboarding. The opportunity lies in narrative revision or IP licensing rather than acquisition, given strong core mechanics but acknowledged writing liability that limits mainstream appeal.

- Most realistic play: publishing
- Risk (market): Gameplay loop polarizes quickly (2h abandonment rate high), suggesting ceiling on new-player conversion without tutorial or pacing overhaul.
- Risk (other): Writing is cited as weak point even by supporters; full narrative rewrite may exceed ROI on catalog revival.
- Risk (other): Run duration (2+ hours) cited repeatedly as friction; modern roguelike players expect 30-60 minute loops.

What players are asking for:
- Narrative overhaul and character development
- Shorter run times or mid-run save points
- Improved new-player onboarding for combat system
- Balance pass on combat complexity vs. accessibility

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit player retention by playtime cohort and run length; if sub-2-hour runs correlate with positive sentiment, prioritize pacing cuts over new content.
2. Engage Raw Fury on co-funding a narrative pass (dialogue, character arcs, cutscene expansion) as low-cost player sentiment lift before broader revival.
3. Explore licensing IP to anime/manga publisher targeting tactical JRPG crossover audience; the affinity and recruitment mechanics align with visual-novel and turn-based strategy publishing trends.

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/651670
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.