Games › Visual Novel › Visual Novel + Villain Protagonist
Should I ship a Villain-Led Visual Novel?
Visual Novel + Villain Protagonist
Only 8 developers shipped a Villain-Led Visual Novel in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, The Dark Queen of Mortholme, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 12 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.
Only 3 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $2.5k against a market of $480. 12 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $599 (exactly $599) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.5k (exactly $2,545) |
| Top 25% | $17k (exactly $17,270) |
| Top 5% | $610k (exactly $610,028) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 8 |
| Released games | 38 |
| Announced | 12 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue up 265% on the market, supply 40% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 8%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Visual Novel
- effort 2 / 10 · high · script, choices and static art
- Villain Protagonist
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Visual Novel
- Price point
- $4.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 83% positive over 4,245 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 12 games are announced against 3 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Visual Novel with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + City BuilderStrong odds
- + MusicStrong odds
- + TrainsStrong odds
- + Souls-likeFair
- + MinigamesFair
- + RhythmFair
- + JRPGFair
- + Immersive SimFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + GamblingFair
- + DiplomacyFair
Comparable games
This Is the Police 2016 · $4.1M 
The Dark Queen of Mortholme 2025 · $610k 
My Lovely Daughter 2018 · $524k 
Demonheart 2017 · $428k 
Vae Victis - Khan 2024 · EA · $164k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | This Is the Police | older | $14.99 | 9,153 82% | 275k | $4.1M (exactly $4,116,104) | Weappy Studio |
| | The Dark Queen of Mortholme | $4.99 | 4,075 83% | 122k | $610k (exactly $610,028) | Mosu | |
| | My Lovely Daughter | older | $14.99 | 1,165 70% | 35k | $524k (exactly $523,900) | GameChanger Studio |
| | Demonheart | older | $19.99 | 714 89% | 21k | $428k (exactly $428,186) | Rolling Crown |
| | Vae Victis - Khan | · EA older | $14.99 | 365 80% | 11k | $164k (exactly $164,140) | Doorknob22 |
 | Astrologaster | older | $9.99 | 474 94% | 14k | $142k (exactly $142,058) | Nyamyam |
 | The Advisor - Episode 1: Royal Pain | older | $2.99 | 597 96% | 18k | $54k (exactly $53,551) | Randumb Studios |
 | Penny Larceny: Gig Economy Supervillain | older | $11.99 | 102 96% | 3.1k | $37k (exactly $36,689) | Fiction Factory Games |
 | ManServant: Gay Visual Novel | older | $20.99 | 29 79% | 870 | $18k (exactly $18,261) | Y Press Games |
 | Marry a Deep One: Innsmouth Simulator | $17.99 | 32 50% | 960 | $17k (exactly $17,270) | simulinati | |
 | Utopia: Birth of The Heroes | · EA | $19.99 | 16 100% | 480 | $9.6k (exactly $9,595) | Mana Core Game Studios |
 | Werewolf Twins 👹 | $4.99 | 19 89% | 570 | $2.8k (exactly $2,844) | TheBigO Games | |
 | Futa Night ⚔️ | $4.99 | 18 83% | 540 | $2.7k (exactly $2,695) | TheBigO Games | |
 | Red Riding Hood 🐺 | $4.99 | 18 88% | 540 | $2.7k (exactly $2,695) | TheBigO Games | |
 | Monster Yoga 👉👌 | $4.99 | 17 82% | 510 | $2.5k (exactly $2,545) | TheBigO Games | |
 | Demonic Rental 😈 | $4.99 | 17 94% | 510 | $2.5k (exactly $2,545) | TheBigO Games | |
 | IT's for Adults 🤡 | $4.99 | 17 94% | 510 | $2.5k (exactly $2,545) | TheBigO Games | |
 | Venomous Dalliances 💚 | $4.99 | 16 93% | 480 | $2.4k (exactly $2,395) | TheBigO Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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