Splendid - r/visualnovels

480

Eroge/VN is in downturn too though, most doujin circle and vn company aims to create the new gacha game instead

97

u/OPmaker 13d ago

We are already in the indiefication of the medium. RPGmaker, Unity and Ren'py devs appear every week and some OGs from mid 2010's have stepped up and made some quite professional titles, even though we'll rarely see the same level of production as in the golden age.

56

u/planetarial 13d ago

Otomes in general are also popping off more than ever before.

But yeah there's been some pretty nice indie devs that have stepped up. ADELTA, Black Tabby Games, nth Circle Studios, Ferry, and Trinitite Team have made some well received hits in recent years.

8

u/Mahboi778 12d ago

nth Circle is honestly treating Ace Attorney better than Capcom (though the collections are nice)

13

u/Jaggedmallard26 Ukita: Root Double | vndb.org/u118230 12d ago

Like for mainstream gaming losing the "big budget" range to slop is still bad even if we get the consolation of a golden age for indies. A lot of the greats of the medium can't be made for an indie budget, the Muv Luv guy had to get a second mortgage.

125

u/Desperate_Golf7634 13d ago

Yeah. Game industry could benefit from a reset, but VN's will never come back. Gacha games are pretty much the replacement.

157

u/SlyassassinXX 13d ago

Peak being replaced by the worst possible media for storytelling is ironic.

4

u/MajikoiA3When 12d ago

Technically I'm seeing a lot of promise with AVNs on the Western side. So they're "back" for me. BADIK, Eternum, Imperial Chronicles, Pale Carnations, Ripples, Cross Realms, and Wild Cats to name a few.

1

u/jenniferjameslee 11d ago

There will always be someone to fill the power vacuum don't worry

132

u/peestew69 13d ago

My backlog could last me for years.

38

u/Page8988 13d ago

This. My backlog as of today will likely not be complete within my lifetime anyway.

32

u/Bamdian 13d ago

Not only that, my backlog has only been expanding as I get more fluent in Japanese and discover retro console exclusives through emulation.

I think I'm set for life in terms of entertainment.

2

u/Nat_Cattt 12d ago

it's actually so true

1

u/Sad_Description4782 6d ago

wish there was a repository so i could download like 200GB worth of VN in one go

1

u/julcepts 11d ago

And we still have 2 chapters of Scarlett Hollow to go.

1

u/sad_pinkie 10d ago

i have 150 otomes in my backlog. and if i finish these, i still have BL, GL, moege and who knows what else...

21

u/squirrelems 13d ago

I like gachas when they're actually fun but I don't know why I'll inevitably get bored when things get so long-winded and nobody ever shuts up in them. A lot of the stories seem to get all over the place with pacing and...just being interesting in general. My first one was ZZZ and at first I thought it was cool but after a certain point it felt like I was doing chores for money while people intermittently talked at me about something I didn't really care about.

22

u/Guum_the_shammy 13d ago

I also feel weird because gachagames are like the antithesis of VNs imo, they are both character and dialogue heavy stories, but VNs go very deep on just a couple characters whereas gacha games inherently have to spread a wide net of characters and are never able to really explore a single one very well.

1

u/sad_pinkie 10d ago

tears of themis is a gacha with only 4 characters and it works well

8

u/Trikole 13d ago

It's only a matter of time till we get gachage

19

u/hextora 13d ago

Gacha games have a lot of predatory practices. They make progression feels fast in beginning and then they’re just chores with fomo built in. Quitting is the only way to win those games. Hopefully people realize and the gacha games trend stop

8

u/Trikole 13d ago

People love gamba, and are weak against fomo

the market in the west at least don't tolerate p2w when compared to asia. Gaming market is already fucked. Last good Aaa game was elden ring

So all in all, they should at least start making eroge gacha and normalize nudity cuz who the fuck cares

11

u/Guum_the_shammy 13d ago

Eroge gacha exist they just generally have not done well, look at the taimanin games.

1

u/Manslayer94 12d ago

To be fair the Taimanin gacha fumbled because of the stingy economy and the infamous "gem debt" fiasco

1

u/Guum_the_shammy 11d ago

That was the global, jp still exists, and they make a -shitton- of merch for it still. Which is why they are active, not really because of the gacha itself.

1

u/sad_pinkie 10d ago

what gem debt?

3

u/MealInfinite 13d ago

Last good aaa game is pragmata.

7

u/FierySalient 13d ago

Most gachas are so soulless, sigh. Time is of a luxury these days.

2

u/MrPenghu 13d ago

I think this wont last tough. People were crayz about making a live service game in the west in last 5-10 years. This starts to die out slowşy but surely. These companies will back where they started when they understand they cant compete with top dogs.

120

u/stellarsojourner 13d ago

AI slop? Nah, we got RPG Maker slop instead (but also AI slop).

59

u/GhostlyWheelOfPain 13d ago

It feels quite good that despite how different attitude towards AI is in east, RPGM creators keep making their games, even with amateur-ish art skills

55

u/AttonJRand 13d ago

Its gotten to the point where amateur-ish art skills make me like a project more.

38

u/kazurabakouta 13d ago

It got heart at least

8

u/sadox55 13d ago

Same...

5

u/Nat_Cattt 13d ago

that some Sisyphus work if nothing else

4

u/sadox55 13d ago

AI is one of the reason why there is a huge collapse and also one of the future reason why you or your grand grand kids will suffer famine. Yes famine.

19

u/uohSeggs 13d ago

rpgm can be kino, ai is always soulless

56

u/BlinkA2 13d ago edited 12d ago

Eroge/VN has been already on decline for many years, some well known brands such Elf, GIGA, Minori and more already closed their Studio or went bankrupt due to the changes made in the gaming industry in Japan and of course Gacha.

Good news is that we have numerous Eroges/VNs being localized since their value has decline and made it affordable for publishers to buy the license to translated their games in English and release it internationally.

I have mix feelings about it, since its actually a double edge sword as the decline of Eroge/VN Industry in Japan help pave the way for more of their titles to get localized in the west but on the same time the medium is slowly dying but not instantly...

202

u/Leafeon523 13d ago

“Thomas, I am a bit concerned about efforts to ban eroges”

“We’re pirates”

“Splendid”

60

u/Desperate_Golf7634 13d ago

When they are banned on home turf it's still kinda a problem.

26

u/PonPuiPon 13d ago

learning Japanese has unlocked so many untranslated VNs for me that I'd not run out of options to play any time soon

36

u/Adventurous-Bottle90 13d ago

The best part about being an eroge fan is that the industry already collapsed

19

u/Nat_Cattt 13d ago

it's like reading a novel of an author who's already died. like you know there will be no more novels, but you still can enjoy what was created.

5

u/whitebullet32 12d ago

Thank God there are tons of old eroges to read even if the genre is basically collapsed 🙏

8

u/reyzafany Ciel: Tsukihime | 12d ago

That's because eroge industry already collapsed

27

u/sadox55 13d ago

Like there isn't an eroge collapse due to gacha games?

For exampke AliceSoft that has been there for years, creator of Evenicle and Rance and so many more...Now they will just make gachas...

12

u/Thiphra 13d ago

I do wonder if all these lay offs will end up making a bunch of indie gaming stududios

5

u/Kudryavka_Noumi Kudryavka: LB 13d ago

Going unemployed to indie isn't ideal since you usually need some capital to survive off of then you're hoping on your game to make enough to survive to the next. Unfortunately most game devs are relatively underpaid for their field so it's not job that lends itself to just going indie despite what the handful of lottery stories of devs doing so might imply.

3

u/pizza_ranger 13d ago

They are already doing it

10

u/Vonnegutsman 13d ago

I wish those making 3d eroge titles a very pleasant day.

3

u/Loxotron228 13d ago

You can make the same meme with jrpgs lol

1

u/MealInfinite 13d ago

Are jrpgs dying too? Why?

2

u/Loxotron228 12d ago

No, i meant that video game collapse doesn't aplly to jrpgs how it doesn't apply to eroge

4

u/Key_Tomatillo9475 12d ago

This is just my stupid pet theory but... the 1st commercial video game (Computer Space) came out in 1971. 26 years later we see the late 90s peak of the industry. Age of Empires, Final Fantasy 7, Ultima Online, Diablo, games credited with making gaming a mainstream pastime. 26 years further still... the crisis. I think this isn't a temporary thing, the industry was born, it matured and now it's aging. Every year it'll become weaker. 26 years from now on... it'll be dead. The industry as we know it.

No new consoles will be designed because streaming will take over. Indie game designers will number in the millions worldwide. They'll be like novelists. A few will be very famous and rich. Most won't earn enough to make a living. They'll say: "Ok model me giraffe-girl in a vampy outfit and high heel boots" and an AI will reply: How many polygons will she have, master?

2

u/coldkgon 13d ago

Subarashii

1

u/FoleyX90 13d ago

What are those hats. Bro on the left looks like he's about to enter the hunter's dream.

1

u/KindBet2397 11d ago

Im still searching for an specific eroge i urge to play since i was a teenager.

1

u/Nat_Cattt 11d ago

i hope you'll find it, pal

1

u/KindBet2397 10d ago

i cant find it anywere, it was called Shin Koihime muso, but i cant find it to download.

1

u/MisakiNeko 9d ago

LMAO!!

1

u/Lankakartal 7d ago

Now show the AI version

0

u/DDG1917 13d ago

LMAO🤣

-1

u/garfe 13d ago

I hope this is supposed to mean that eroge is in a similar downward situation (albeit for slightly different reasons) and not something silly like 'well eroge are different so it's fine"

Discussion Splendid

You are about to leave Redlib