Mainstream Acceptance & Golden Age (2000s)
- Type-Moon & Fate/stay night: The 2004 release of Fate/stay night by Type-Moon demonstrated that adult visual novels could have deep, complex narratives beyond just erotic content.
- Nitroplus & Dark Themes: Companies like Nitroplus (Saya no Uta, 2003) pushed boundaries with horror and psychological themes.
- MangaGamer & JAST USA: Localization companies began bringing eroge to Western audiences, though censorship was common.
- Steam & Digital Distribution: Platforms like Steam allowed uncensored adult visual novels to reach a global audience (HuniePop, Being a DIK).
- Western Indie Boom: Western developers created their own adult VNs (Summertime Saga, Acting Lessons), often blending Western art styles with VN mechanics.
- Decline in Japan, Growth Overseas: While the Japanese eroge market has shrunk due to mobile games and stricter regulations, indie Western and crowdfunded projects (via Patreon, itch.io) have flourished.
- VR & New Tech: Some developers experiment with adult VR visual novels for immersive experiences.
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