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OF MICE AND SAND -REVISED-

ARC SYSTEM WORKS · 2018 · $9.99 · Simulation · deal grade B

Measured on 2026-09-23 19:20 UTC, 12 days ago. The whole catalog is re-measured daily; a game that just launched can move fast between passes.

  • Estimated net residual revenue: $151 to $226 per month
  • Opportunity: $302 per month at x1.60 dormancy
  • Estimated lifetime owners: 16.0k
  • 80% positive across 363 reviews · 3.5 reviews/month

Why it's flagged

  • Developer silent for 8.6 years
  • Studio active elsewhere (19 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
  • Last discounted 0 months ago, 5 sales in the last 12 months

Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Note written 2026-09-21; the live figures above take precedence over any numbers in it.

A 2018 simulation from Arc System Works where you manage a mouse settlement across procedurally generated deserts.

Of Mice and Sand occupies a quiet niche: it has sustained a small but engaged community (nearly 80% positive, median 28 hours) with virtually no marketing overhead for over four years. Monthly residuals sit in the low hundreds, which is unremarkable in isolation, but the title's zero promotional spend, lightweight localization footprint, and lack of active development cost suggest it could be an easy add to a publisher's catalog rotation or a candidate for a minimal-effort revival aimed at dormant city-building or management sim audiences, particularly in East Asia where the bulk of reviews cluster. Most realistic play: publishing.

  • Risk: Ultra-niche genre (settlement management in harsh environment) with limited appeal outside simulation enthusiasts; peak concurrent players under 20 suggests a hard ceiling on growth without repositioning.
  • Risk: Over 102 months since last developer post; no updates, balance patches or platform-specific optimizations (e.g. 60 fps issues noted in reviews) suggest technical debt or abandonment of active support.
  • Risk: Minimal localization gap (2.6%) but German-language reviews underrepresented; no post-launch DLC support and single DLC item suggests publisher deprioritization.

This case as Markdown · Estimates carry ±30-50% error per title.