There is a reason why the market is the way that it is.
Mr Dots the creator(s) of DMD is also the creator of Melody (completed), and Sunshine Love (WIP). It's questionable to claim that DMD is less popular than AWAM. Both are really big popular games.
AWAM = More comments 2623 pages vs 2094
DMD = More 1st post likes 2926 vs 2162
AWAM = More Reviews 258 vs 218
DMD = Higher Average Review 4 & change vs 3 & change
I like both games, and both are popular, but I think DMD is slightly more popular, but it's debatable.
Decent Monkey is one of the hardest working devs I have ever seen. They release so many renders and so frequently compared to most other devs. They earn it. Unique story too, and massive amount of animations.
Comparing almost any dev to Dr Pink Cake... Come on guy. Being a Dik is arguably the most popular adult game. I love AWAM, but it's not at the same level as Being a Dik in execution, and that's just a fact. AWAM is 720 being a Dik is 1080 for starters. Then there is massive amounts of sex in that game, and it's coded like a boss. It's like all around golden game. That level of production is nuts. If you want to compare someone to Dr Pink Cake leave L&P alone that just aint fair go with like Phillygames with his City of Broken Dreamers and Depraved Awakening or maybe CheekyGimp with Where the Heart is instead when comparing the big boys that's a more fair match up.
All those devs you just listed all work hard for it, and none of them are milkers.
Even L&P Isn't a milker. In spite of it being slow burn he still makes releases. In spite of it being blue ball. A release is a release the story continues. Maybe it's not progressing as fast as many want, but that's his style and that's his audience. He is shooting for more "Erotic" than "Pornographic".
If you want to know why L&P isn't stacking money to the ceiling as good as some of the other devs mentioned. I'll make a list of things L&P could do to get that cash flow up:
1) A lot of them games don't do it, but coming to the forums more often to drop a line and let people know your active and not have people debating this or that. If he came out to the forums and dropped a line a little more often that would help him grow a little better. I don't think L&P has a discord server or an Instagram or twitter or anything.
2) He kinda should switch from 720 to 1080p. A lot of people want HD, but at the same time that would take too long, and you don't want half the game in one resolution and the other half in another.
3) Animations: AWAM seems pretty light on animations. I think Neil boning his wife Amber was the only animation, and it was only 1 animation. At Damaged Goods we already have 18 animations, and there will be 8 more soon we came out on X-mas. People want animations.
4) The code needs a little bit of work for player convenience. A jump to day, or gallery mode option would be a big plus.
5) The game has been around for 3.5 years. It's a big game, and it's got a big fan base and has had a fair number of releases. There have been 17 or so releases now. (I have played every single one since RPGM days) So it's established, and not just established but well established. That being said Sophia the female protagonist has not even gone so far as to give a handjob to a man other than her husband. Not even a little quick tuggy tug. That is probably the slowest pace of any game I have ever seen. Even Jessica O'neil from JOHN is out pacing her. Ultimately when Sophia does fuck around it is a double edged sword. At some point in the future when Sophia does shift over from prude to lewd... Well, that's a big change. Some supporters will be upset that the blue balling comes to an end and leave, but other new ones may take there place and old ones may return. There is no real case study comparison of what happens when you do the blue ball thing so long as sophia then get out of it.
If you want me to point my finger and say "Milker"... There is only really
one developer I can think of off the top of my head that fits that bill perfectly. The reason gumdrop is a milker is he missed 6 self imposed deadlines over a couple of year span releasing nothing, and then releases a "prologue" of his "remake" that is just a piano simulator.
Not making releases and breaking promises = Milking
Slow burning =/= Milking
Slow burning can actually cost a developer money if they do it too much.