- May 9, 2020
- 625
- 2,304
This is one reason that I keep saying BaDIK will be DPC's last, fully hardcore AVN. I believe he will go mainstream with his next game.
[/QUOTE]
You may be right, but I think that if DPC, or frankly any successful AVN developer active on this site, wanted to go mainstream, they can expect their revenue streams to shrink massively or disappear altogether. DPC is a hard worker and seems to have developed a lot of technical skills that he could bring to bear on a mainstream game, but what mainstream Ren'py games out there make any money? Of course there are indie non-Ren'py games that become hits now and again, but those are few and far between. There is just SO MUCH more competition for every dollar in the mainstream gaming world.
The adult gaming space, on the other hand, is an arena where a highly skilled developer and even mildly gifted storyteller (like DPC) can really mop up because there are so few really high-quality competitors. Based on the number of patrons he has, DPC is making a very nice living and he retains complete independence. Any effort to get into mainstream content is going to increase his costs, too. Even if he could continue to operate as a lone wolf in development, marketing and publishing his content will require outlays of cash. For example, currently his game is distributed via Google Drive, Mega, and other hosts that charge him virtually nothing. He can't publish mainstream games that way. He would have to rely on Steam and similar platforms, all of which take a sizable cut of sales.
Of course, if he feels somehow embarrassed or inadequate over his legacy being a porny college comedy game, maybe he will retire and work on mainstream content while resting on the piles of cash BaDIK raked in. In such an event, all most of us would ever know is that DPC retired and was never heard from again. I highly doubt he would use the "Dr. Pinkcake" moniker on non-adult projects.
[/QUOTE]
You may be right, but I think that if DPC, or frankly any successful AVN developer active on this site, wanted to go mainstream, they can expect their revenue streams to shrink massively or disappear altogether. DPC is a hard worker and seems to have developed a lot of technical skills that he could bring to bear on a mainstream game, but what mainstream Ren'py games out there make any money? Of course there are indie non-Ren'py games that become hits now and again, but those are few and far between. There is just SO MUCH more competition for every dollar in the mainstream gaming world.
The adult gaming space, on the other hand, is an arena where a highly skilled developer and even mildly gifted storyteller (like DPC) can really mop up because there are so few really high-quality competitors. Based on the number of patrons he has, DPC is making a very nice living and he retains complete independence. Any effort to get into mainstream content is going to increase his costs, too. Even if he could continue to operate as a lone wolf in development, marketing and publishing his content will require outlays of cash. For example, currently his game is distributed via Google Drive, Mega, and other hosts that charge him virtually nothing. He can't publish mainstream games that way. He would have to rely on Steam and similar platforms, all of which take a sizable cut of sales.
Of course, if he feels somehow embarrassed or inadequate over his legacy being a porny college comedy game, maybe he will retire and work on mainstream content while resting on the piles of cash BaDIK raked in. In such an event, all most of us would ever know is that DPC retired and was never heard from again. I highly doubt he would use the "Dr. Pinkcake" moniker on non-adult projects.