# SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE

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

- Steam appid: 690040
- Developer: SUPERHOT Team
- Released: 2020 · Genre: Action · List price: $24.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $5.0k to $7.5k per month (mid $6.3k)
- Opportunity score: $10.0k/month at x1.60 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 276.7k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $1.5M
- Review sentiment: 84% positive across 12738 reviews (9222 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 46.7 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 4.1 years
- Studio active elsewhere (3 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 10 months ago
- Last discounted 0 months ago, 11 sales in the last 12 months

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $11.4k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $9.9k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $9.0k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $6.3k |

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

51, 55, 67, 54, 64, 86, 45, 61, 56, 42, 61, 66, 54, 41, 53, 41, 54, 57, 49, 34, 42, 56, 63, 36

## Estimated acquisition range

$150.4k to $300.8k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $75.2k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE is a roguelike action game that remixes the original's time-moves-when-you-move mechanic with procedural levels, new weapons, and meta progression systems.

MCD has generated $1.49M lifetime on modest $9.99–$24.99 pricing and holds solid 84% positive reviews despite sustained player criticism of its design pivot away from handcrafted levels. Current residual revenue of $6.3k/mo and 47 reviews/mo suggest an inactive but stable tail; the game remains SUPERHOT Team's second title and may be ripe for targeted content patches (roguelike balancing, meta-progression tweaks) or licensing exploitation if IP ownership permits. Not a high-velocity acquisition target, but worth monitoring for revival plays if the studio seeks to reconcile franchise fan bases.

- Most realistic play: revival
- Risk (market): Core complaint is structural: roguelike randomization replaced handcrafted puzzle design, alienating fans of the original SUPERHOT's intentional level architecture.
- Risk (other): Meta-progression gate (2.5-hour real-time wait for replay) is widely cited as frustrating design decision that caps engagement ceiling.
- Risk (tech): One review notes the meta-achievement forces 1400 fps CPU load, suggesting engine or implementation inefficiency that may deter continued play.

What players are asking for:
- Remove or reduce the 2.5-hour real-time gate on replay/meta-progression
- Return to handcrafted, puzzle-like level design or improve roguelike level variety and intentionality
- Fix balance issues where melee weapons (katana, throwing knife) outclass firearms
- Add persistent progression or story beats to reduce repetition perception

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit IP rights and publishing deal terms: confirm SUPERHOT Team or publisher owns all code and can greenlight updates; if SUPERHOT Team has ceded publishing or live-ops control, clarify path to revival authorship.
2. Survey players on willingness to re-engage if the 2.5-hour gate is removed or replaced with cosmetic progression; A/B test a patch reducing cooldown to 30 min or making it optional, then measure review lift and monthly-active-user recovery.
3. Commission a post-mortem design review comparing original vs. MCD level design philosophy; if handcrafted-level-hybrid roguelike is feasible, prototype a limited rework (e.g., 10 new curated core levels + refreshed roguelike mode) as a free update to rebuild trust and justify marketing push.

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/690040
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.