Unheard - Voices of Crime

NEXT Studios · 2019 · $6.99 · Indie · deal grade A

Measured on 2026-09-24 10:35 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: $5.4k to $8.1k per month
• Opportunity: $10.7k per month at x1.60 dormancy
• Estimated lifetime owners: 1.2M
• 96% positive across 34023 reviews · 178.6 reviews/month

Why it's flagged

• Developer silent for 3.1 years
• Studio active elsewhere (5 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
• Store page localized in only 4 language(s)
• Last discounted 0 months ago, 7 sales in the last 12 months
• Proven demand elasticity: x1.3 review velocity during past deep sales

Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Note written 2026-08-25; the live figures above take precedence over any numbers in it.

An audio-detective indie puzzle game where players eavesdrop on recorded crime scenes to solve mysteries by isolating and tracking voices.

Unheard is a genuinely novel mechanic with a durable audience, solid residual performance, and high player satisfaction among those who finish it, but English localization quality has become the primary barrier to growth and retention. The game's core concept remains commercially viable; the path forward is either professional re-recording of English voice work or strategic licensing to a publisher with localization expertise and access to voice talent. This is an acquisition candidate for a publisher seeking to rescue high-concept IP from execution bottlenecks, not a revival play. Most realistic play: publishing.

• Risk: Audio engine and spatial eavesdropping mechanic are the entire product; any technical rework is high-risk and the original dev team's post-update silence (36+ months since last dev communication) suggests limited appetite for maintenance.
• Risk: English voice acting is repeatedly cited as game-breaking by English-language players despite 96% positive sentiment overall, indicating a vocal minority of refusers who block word-of-mouth and new player conversion.
• Risk: Three DLC titles remain untranslated to English, fragmenting the catalog and creating friction for the English market; missing localization is a solvable but non-trivial cost.

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