Quake II Steam Revenue & Sales Estimates

Based on our analysis using the Boxleiter method, we estimate Quake II's total gross revenue on Steam at approximately $1,613,054.

This estimate comes with a confidence range:

• Conservative estimate (x20): $848,976
• Calibrated midpoint (x38): $1,613,054
• Optimistic estimate (x60): $2,546,928

The actual revenue may vary due to regional pricing, seasonal discounts, and refund rates.

With 9,228 Steam reviews and a 96% positive rating, we estimate Quake II has sold between 184,560 and 553,680 copies, with a best estimate of 350,664.

This is based on the Boxleiter method, which uses the observation that roughly 1 in every 20 to 60 buyers leaves a Steam review. For the midpoint we do not assume a universal 30x value; we use a calibrated multiplier of x38 that adjusts for the title's age, price tier, genre, and review profile.

After Steam's tiered platform fee of effectively 30.0%, id Software keeps an estimated $1,129,138 from Quake II's gross revenue of $1,613,054.

Here's the breakdown:

• Gross Revenue: $1,613,054
• Steam's Fee (30.0%): -$483,916
• Developer Revenue: $1,129,138

Note: This doesn't account for publisher shares, taxes, or development costs.

Steam uses a tiered revenue sharing model that reduces the platform's cut as a game earns more:

• First $10 million: 30% to Steam, 70% to developer
• $10M to $50M: 25% to Steam, 75% to developer
• Above $50M: 20% to Steam, 80% to developer

For Quake II, with an estimated gross revenue of $1,613,054, this results in an effective rate of 30.0%. Steam keeps approximately $483,916 and id Software receives $1,129,138.

These estimates use the Boxleiter method, a widely-used industry approach that estimates game sales from the number of Steam reviews.

Factors that affect accuracy:

• Review-to-purchase ratio varies by genre
• Discount history - games with frequent deep sales may have higher ratios
• Regional pricing - different prices in different markets are not captured
• Refunds - Steam's return policy means some counted sales were refunded
• Bundled sales - keys sold through third-party bundles may not generate reviews

We provide a confidence range ($848,976 to $2,546,928) to reflect this uncertainty. For the best estimate we combine the Boxleiter range with a calibrated midpoint (x38) and a calibrated ASP of $5.

If Quake II generated the same gross revenue on the Epic Games Store, id Software would keep approximately $1,539,488 - that's $410,350 more than on Steam.

At this revenue level, Epic's concrete platform fee would be $73,567. Epic charges 0% on the first $1 million in annual per-app revenue and then 12% on the remaining amount. On GOG (30% cut), the developer would earn approximately $1,129,138.

Note: This is a hypothetical comparison. Actual sales volumes differ significantly between platforms, and Steam's larger user base typically drives substantially higher sales.

According to SteamSpy data, players spend an average of 5 hours in Quake II, with a median playtime of 1.2 hours. The large gap between average and median suggests a dedicated core community playing well beyond the typical player.