# Deadliest Catch: The Game

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

- Steam appid: 838630
- Developer: 4Fishing
- Publisher: Ultimate Games S.A.
- Released: 2020 · Genre: Adventure · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $831 to $1.2k per month (mid $1.0k)
- Opportunity score: $2.2k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 45.5k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $195.5k
- Review sentiment: 52% positive across 1625 reviews (1517 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 9.7 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 4.1 years
- Studio inactive: no public activity across 1 tracked titles
- Last build shipped 4.7 years ago
- Last discounted 0 months ago, 11 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x2.0 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $1.9k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $1.6k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $1.5k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $1.0k |

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

15, 21, 11, 16, 13, 16, 6, 11, 11, 1, 42, 10, 11, 11, 13, 8, 12, 9, 7, 12, 7, 11, 12, 9

## Estimated acquisition range

$24.9k to $49.8k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $12.5k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A fishing-simulation game licensed from the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch franchise, released in 2020 by Ultimate Games S.A.

Deadliest Catch earned $195.5k lifetime on modest sales (45.5k units) and currently generates $1.04k/mo residual revenue despite a 94% discount and dormant developer (4Fishing has gone inactive post-launch). The franchise IP and niche genre appeal persist, but the game suffers from game-breaking bugs that prevent core gameplay, reflected in a 52% positive rate. A publisher seeking a low-cost catalog title with existing revenue and media tie-in value could fix critical bugs and re-list at sustainable pricing; however, licensing rights to Discovery's Deadliest Catch and underlying engine fragility present material barriers.

- Most realistic play: watch
- Licensed IP: the game is built on third-party intellectual property
- Risk (licensed_ip): Game is licensed from Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch franchise; any acquisition or revival requires securing/renewing broadcast-IP rights with likely tight editorial control and renewal costs.
- Risk (tech): Core gameplay loop has unresolved crashing bugs (crab-catching mechanic) that persist across 66+ hours of player engagement; developer (4Fishing) shows no post-launch support in 48+ months.
- Risk (market): Genre (fishing sim) and IP (reality-TV license) appeal is narrow; 52% positive rating and low review velocity (9.7 reviews/mo) suggest lukewarm audience retention and word-of-mouth.

Suggested first moves:
1. Confirm licensing terms, remaining duration, and renewal cost/process with Discovery Inc. before committing capital.
2. Audit codebase and reproduce the documented crab-tote crash; estimate fix scope and test effort required to restore core gameplay and pass QA.
3. Model a re-pricing and marketing campaign assuming bug fix: test whether reduced price tier ($4.99–$9.99) and targeted Discovery-audience ads can lift monthly residual from $1.04k to $2–3k within 12 months.

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/838630
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.