# Stay Out of the House

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

- Steam appid: 896520
- Developer: Puppet Combo
- Released: 2022 · Genre: Action · List price: $14.99
- Deal grade: A (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $2.1k to $3.2k per month (mid $2.6k)
- Opportunity score: $5.6k/month at x2.10 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 53.6k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $200.3k
- Review sentiment: 94% positive across 1871 reviews (1675 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 28.3 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 3.2 years
- Studio inactive: no public activity across 3 tracked titles
- Last build shipped 3.2 years ago
- Last discounted 1 months ago, 5 sales in the last 12 months
- Proven demand elasticity: x1.2 review velocity during past deep sales

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $4.8k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $4.2k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $3.8k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $2.6k |

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

27, 21, 45, 21, 22, 35, 21, 24, 22, 22, 38, 27, 28, 18, 49, 32, 20, 36, 21, 28, 25, 31, 30, 35

## Estimated acquisition range

$63.5k to $127.1k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $31.8k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Stay Out of the House is a single-player survival-horror game from Puppet Combo featuring intelligent AI stalker mechanics and atmospheric dread in a confined environment.

This 2022 title generates $2.6k/mo residually on 53.6k lifetime units and maintains a 94% positive rating despite minimal marketing activity (38 months since last developer post). The strong review consensus around AI quality, sound design, and replay tension suggests organic appeal to horror enthusiasts, but the studio appears dormant. For a publisher or experienced horror studio, acquiring the catalog or negotiating a revival campaign could unlock modest but stable revenue with minimal ongoing support costs.

- Most realistic play: watch
- Risk (other): Developer studio status shows no recent activity (38 months since last post), making future patching, live-ops or marketing support uncertain.
- Risk (market): Horror survival-game market is crowded; niche audience and minimal mainstream reach (non-mainstream grade) limit upside for aggressive revival campaigns.
- Risk (tech): Build age (38 months) and lack of recent updates suggest potential compatibility issues on future OS releases without proactive maintenance.

What players are asking for:
- Higher visibility and promotion (review explicitly wishes it were more popular)
- Content expansion or sequel (players express excitement about related Puppet Combo titles)
- Quality-of-life improvements to reduce save/checkpoint frustration

Suggested first moves:
1. Verify Puppet Combo IP/publishing rights status and studio contact viability; confirm whether catalog is for sale or licensing.
2. Model refresh ROI: low-cost cosmetic updates, bug fixes, and Steam visibility push (tags, reviews curation) could move needle on residual given high positive% and existing word-of-mouth.
3. Evaluate bundle or cross-promotion opportunities with similar indie horror titles (e.g., other Puppet Combo games) to reach overlapping wishlist audiences without cannibalizing price.

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/896520
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.