# Bum Simulator

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

- Steam appid: 855740
- Developer: Ragged Games
- Released: 2023 · Genre: Action · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $4.7k to $7.0k per month (mid $5.9k)
- Opportunity score: $12.3k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 144.9k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $722.0k
- Review sentiment: 88% positive across 4818 reviews (4527 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 47.0 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 2.4 years
- Studio quiet across its whole catalog
- Last build shipped 3.1 years ago

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $10.6k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $9.2k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $8.4k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $5.9k |

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

76, 66, 42, 42, 63, 43, 26, 58, 43, 31, 42, 69, 83, 47, 42, 119, 63, 80, 42, 59, 54, 32, 49, 46

## Estimated acquisition range

$140.6k to $281.1k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $70.3k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

A comedic open-world survival game where players roleplay as a homeless person, building bases and surviving on the streets across multiple locations.

Bum Simulator holds $722k lifetime net revenue on just 145k units sold, with an 88% positive rating and 47 monthly reviews still arriving 38 months post-launch. The game occupies a niche comedy/satire space with demonstrated long-tail appeal; at $5.9k/mo residual, it generates steady cash despite zero active sales velocity and developer radio silence for 29 months. This is a candidate for quiet acquisition by a publisher seeking low-risk catalog depth, or revival by a studio confident in niche IP cultivation and community re-engagement.

- Most realistic play: acquisition
- Risk (market): Niche premise limits mainstream appeal; audience skews toward comedy/absurdist players, not typical survival-game buyers.
- Risk (other): Developer Ragged Games shows only one title in portfolio and 29 months of silence, signaling possible resource constraints or team dissolution.
- Risk (tech): Players report stutter after extended play sessions; inherited codebase may require optimization investment.

What players are asking for:
- Increased story depth and challenge progression beyond the quick base campaign
- Performance stability and stutter fixes during long sessions
- More location variety and base-building customization options
- Quality-of-life improvements to reduce friction from tutorial/companion systems

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit the codebase and performance profiler to quantify technical debt; a targeted stutter fix and memory optimization could improve retention metrics.
2. Conduct lightweight IP audit to confirm no hidden third-party licensing; if clean, prepare a soft relaunch with a polished patch and renewed Steam visibility (current 78% discount suggests store-front fatigue).
3. Engage the existing 47/month reviewer cohort via a community Discord or Reddit thread to gather specific requests for a post-acquisition roadmap; gauge appetite for a 'Definitive Edition' or minor expansions before committing larger resources.

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/855740
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.