# Contractors

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

- Steam appid: 963930
- Developer: Caveman Studio
- Released: 2018 · Genre: Action · List price: $19.99
- Deal grade: B (A = dormant with >=$5k/mo opportunity, D = low signal)
- Est. net residual revenue: $1.6k to $2.4k per month (mid $2.0k)
- Opportunity score: $3.7k/month at x1.85 dormancy multiplier
- Est. lifetime owners: 202.7k · Est. lifetime net revenue: $871.0k
- Review sentiment: 83% positive across 4679 reviews (4054 from Steam purchases)
- Review velocity: 18.5 reviews/month (6-month average)

## Why it's flagged

- Developer silent for 15 months
- Studio active elsewhere (2 titles tracked), so this one may welcome a partner
- Last build shipped 7 months ago
- No Steam discount in 4.0 years (deepest tracked: -0%)

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

| Stage | USD/month |
|---|---|
| Gross storefront sales | $3.6k |
| After VAT / sales tax (-13% blended) | $3.1k |
| After refunds (-9.5% median) | $2.8k |
| Net to developer (after Steam 30%) | $2.0k |

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

18, 23, 21, 32, 53, 57, 26, 22, 17, 18, 34, 45, 29, 20, 34, 18, 35, 22, 18, 20, 23, 9, 21, 20

## Missed seasonal-sale revenue (modeled)

Skipped 12 Steam seasonal sale window(s) in the last 24 months. Running a -50% discount in those windows is modeled at +$20.4k net in total, assuming a unit uplift of x3.0 (industry-typical for old catalog titles). Same ±30-50% error range applies.

## Estimated acquisition range

$47.7k to $95.4k (2-4x the trailing net annuity of $23.8k/year). Same error range applies.

## Analyst notes (AI-assisted)

Contractors is a modular VR shooter that lets players build custom Call of Duty Zombies and other FPS experiences through Steam Workshop.

Contractors has generated $871k lifetime on 203k units with 83% positive reviews and $1.9k/mo residual income, but multiplayer infrastructure decay and developer focus shift toward Exfil have eroded its community. The game's strength lies in mod tooling and user-generated content, not first-party updates. For a publisher or studio with VR platform expertise, the IP represents a dormant catalog asset with repair potential, though revival would require server stability fixes and a commitment to community-facing roadmap transparency that the current team has not provided.

- Most realistic play: watch
- Risk (multiplayer): Players report chronic mod-loading failures in online sessions, forcing full reinstalls; this technical debt directly suppresses engagement and churn risk.
- Risk (other): Developer has shifted resources to Exfil, leaving Contractors in extended maintenance mode with zero sales recorded in the past 12 months and no dev posts in ~15 months.
- Risk (market): Positioned as an alternative to Pavlov, but perception among vocal players is of a 'has-been' title losing relevance as the VR shooter market consolidates.

What players are asking for:
- Fix multiplayer mod compatibility and server connection stability
- Restore active developer communication and roadmap visibility
- Maintain parity with Call of Duty Zombies mod quality and performance

Suggested first moves:
1. Audit multiplayer backend and mod validation pipeline to quantify repair scope and cost; interview 3–5 long-term mod creators on friction points.
2. Model acquisition or licensing value under two scenarios: (a) minimal maintenance mode ($0–50k/yr investment, hold $2k/mo residual), (b) community refresh ($100–200k/yr, target recovery to $5–8k/mo within 18 months).
3. If revival path is viable, contact Caveman Studio to discuss term sheet that includes transfer of IP and community goodwill; if not, monitor title quarterly for IP-licensing or asset-salvage opportunities.

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/963930
Citation: please cite ResidualPlay (https://residualplay.com) when using these estimates.