Niche

Hand-drawn + Visual Novel

Games tagged both Hand-drawn and Visual Novel: 156 indie paid launches, 6 of them earned $100k+ in their first year.

How to read this page

A hit is an estimated $100k+ first year. Revenue is estimated from Steam reviews, so read figures as "about". Earnings are sales on Steam after discounts and regional prices, before Steam's 30% cut, refunds and sales tax. About 58% of it reaches the developer.
Price moves the odds more than genre does, so the page opens on one price band. The keys in section 2 switch it.
From 26,291 indie paid launches 12 to 36 months old, data of 3 Oct 2026. How it is measured.

Price $10 to $20

All prices1 in 15 hit $100k+Under $51 in 238 hit $100k+$5 to $101 in 28 hit $100k+$10 to $2020 in 100 hit $100k+$20 to $4044 in 100 hit $100k+

Base rate: indie paid launches 12 to 36 months old, 26,291 launches. Odds compare best within one price.

Lens Standard

Standard West-facing view Without the breakout Last 18 months

All indie paid launches 12 to 36 months old. Lens figures exist at all prices only; inside a price band this page shows the standard figures.

Sample 100+

10+ launchesshow small samples 30+ launches 100+ launchesonly big markets

Hides anything measured on fewer launches.

$10 to $20 100+ launches Reset

Showing Hand-drawn + Visual Novel priced $10 to $20, hiding samples under 100 launches. This filter changes the answer: at all prices the pair is about level with Hand-drawn and trails Visual Novel; priced $10 to $20 it has too few launches to read.

1Scoreboard: the pair against each of its tags

The pair's chance of a $100k+ first year beside each of its two tags, ranked like a high-score table, with typical earnings and the launches behind every figure.

ScoreboardDoes this pair beat its genres?$10 to $20

35 launches, under your minimum sample of 100.

Pick another price band, or lower the minimum sample.

1STWinner

Tag onemood tagHand-drawn

20.2in 100 earned
$100k+

Odds20.2 in 100

Typical earnings$16,231

Launches163 / 33 hits

Pairno reading

--No reading

This pairHand-drawn + Visual Novel

--too few
to read

Odds--

Typical earnings--

Launches35

35 launches, under your minimum sample of 100.

2NDRunner-up

Tag twoVisual Novel

14.7in 100 earned
$100k+

Odds14.7 in 100

Typical earnings$9,963

Launches434 / 64 hits

Pairno reading

All indie launches $10 to $20: 20.4 in 100 earned $100k+, typical $10,978, from 4,304 launches.each block is 2 in 100 all indie at $10 to $20Hand-drawn is a mood tag: GMD never ranks it alone, but every game carrying it is counted.

2Overlap: where the two tags meet

Each circle is one tag, sized by its launches, and the gold overlap is exactly this pair. Click a part to read it. Price changes the odds more than genre does (under $5: 0.4 in 100 launches earned $100k+; $20 to $40: 44.2 in 100), so read it within a price band.

Price bandswitches the whole page

All prices156 in pair Under $574 in pair $5 to $1043 in pair $10 to $2035 in pair$20 to $404: too few

What the overlap means

The overlap is this niche: the 35 games tagged both Hand-drawn and Visual Novel priced $10 to $20. 4 of 35 of them earned $100k+, against 22.7 in 100 for Hand-drawn-only games and 15.0 in 100 for Visual Novel-only games, so the mix is too small to compare with Hand-drawn alone and is too small to compare with Visual Novel alone.

Both: 35 games priced $10 to $20; 4 of 35 earned $100k+, odds by size $1k+ 89 in 100 · $10k+ 57 in 100 · $100k+ 4 of 35 launches.

Circle areas follow launch counts; the gold overlap is exactly the pair's 35 launches. The outer parts are each tag's launches minus the pair's, so their chance is exact; their typical earnings are not computed yet.

3Comparables

Who leads this pair and each of its tags. Free until launch: one click opens the card. The full comparables list (nearest hits by tag pair, price and launch year) is not computed yet, and the card says so.

Comparables

Leaders

Top earner, share of the moneyFree until launch

Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cutleads this pair43.0%

PairSlay the Princess — The Pristine Cut43.0%

Hand-drawnNine Sols31.7%

Visual NovelSlay the Princess — The Pristine Cut7.1%

CheckOne game over half?no

NextNearest hitsnot computed yet

Lens checkHolds in 2 of 3, 1 too few to tell. Standard: the base the others are compared with. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: too few to tell.

Open free preview

ComparablesFree until launchClick to unlockWho leads Hand-drawn + Visual Novel

What this card holds

Leaders. The top earner in this pair and in each of its two tags, with its share of the money.
One-hit check. Whether a single game holds over half of the pair's money.
Nearest hits. Similar games that earned $100k+, matched by tag pair, price and launch year: not computed yet.

How the list will be picked

Same tag pairdata ready

Same price banddata ready

Launched within a year of each otherplanned

Earned $100k+planned

The list itselfnot computed yet

Free until launch: one click opens the card.

The leaders, in words

Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut earned 43.0% of the estimated first-year money of the 156 Hand-drawn + Visual Novel launches.
Hand-drawn is led by Nine Sols, with 31.7% of its money.
It also leads Visual Novel, with 7.1% of that tag's money.
No game holds over half of this pair's money, so the pair is not a one-hit market.

Nearest hits (similar games that earned $100k+, matched by tag pair, price and launch year): not computed yet.

Filters do not apply here yet. Leaders and shares are for all prices and the Standard view; per price band and per lens they are not computed yet.

4Lens check: does the answer hold?

The same figures with three kinds of games set aside: games mostly reviewed in Chinese, the single biggest earner, and everything older than 18 months.

Does the answer hold?

All prices

Hand-drawn + Visual Novel holds in West-facing view and Without the breakout; too few to tell in Last 18 months. No lens moves the chance or typical earnings more than chance alone would.

Hand-drawn + Visual Novel through every lens, all prices
This pair	BaseStandardevery launch	West-facing view146 of 156 launches	Without the breakout155 of 156 launches	Last 18 months35 of 156 launches
Launches counted	1566 hits	1466 hits	1555 hits	351 hits
Earned $100k+	3.8 in 1001 in 26	4.1 in 1001 in 24	3.2 in 1001 in 31	1 of 35too few for a rate
Typical first-year earnings	$1,344top tenth $34,074+	$1,344	$1,335	under 100 launches
Chance against standard	the base	+6.8%0.3 more in 100	-16.1%0.6 fewer in 100	-25.7%1.0 fewer in 100; too few to tell
Typical against standard	the base	0.0%no change	-0.7%$9 less	under 100 launches
Does it hold?	The base view	Holds	Holds	Too few to tell

BaseStandardThe base view

Every indie paid launch tagged both Hand-drawn and Visual Novel, 12 to 36 months old: 156 launches.

Launches counted: 1566 hits
Earned $100k+: 3.8 in 1001 in 26
Typical first-year earnings: $1,344top tenth $34,074+
Chance against standard: the base
Typical against standard: the base

West-facing viewHolds

Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games mostly reviewed in Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 10 of 156 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.

Launches counted: 1466 hits
Earned $100k+: 4.1 in 1001 in 24
Typical first-year earnings: $1,344
Chance against standard: +6.8%0.3 more in 100
Typical against standard: 0.0%no change

Without the breakoutHolds

Drops the single biggest earner, Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut (43.0% of the money): 155 launches left. It moves the answer when that one game earned over half the money.

Launches counted: 1555 hits
Earned $100k+: 3.2 in 1001 in 31
Typical first-year earnings: $1,335
Chance against standard: -16.1%0.6 fewer in 100
Typical against standard: -0.7%$9 less

Last 18 monthsToo few to tell

Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 35 of 156.

Launches counted: 351 hits
Earned $100k+: 1 of 35too few for a rate
Typical first-year earnings: under 100 launches
Chance against standard: -25.7%1.0 fewer in 100; too few to tell
Typical against standard: under 100 launches

Standard: Every indie paid launch tagged both Hand-drawn and Visual Novel, 12 to 36 months old: 156 launches.
West-facing view: Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games mostly reviewed in Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 10 of 156 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Without the breakout: Drops the single biggest earner, Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut (43.0% of the money): 155 launches left. It moves the answer when that one game earned over half the money.
Last 18 months: Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 35 of 156.

Hand-drawn holds in West-facing view, Without the breakout and Last 18 months. No lens moves the chance or typical earnings more than chance alone would.

Hand-drawn through every lens, all prices
Hand-drawn	BaseStandardevery launch	West-facing view1,031 of 1,089 launches	Without the breakout1,088 of 1,089 launches	Last 18 months266 of 1,089 launches
Launches counted	1,08953 hits	1,03152 hits	1,08852 hits	26614 hits
Earned $100k+	4.9 in 1001 in 21	5.0 in 1001 in 20	4.8 in 1001 in 21	5.3 in 1001 in 19
Typical first-year earnings	$856top tenth $32,534+	$882	$856	$766
Chance against standard	the base	+3.6%0.2 more in 100	-1.8%0.1 fewer in 100	+8.1%0.4 more in 100
Typical against standard	the base	+3.0%$26 more	0.0%no change	-10.5%$90 less
Does it hold?	The base view	Holds	Holds	Holds

BaseStandardThe base view

Every indie paid launch tagged Hand-drawn, 12 to 36 months old: 1,089 launches.

Launches counted: 1,08953 hits
Earned $100k+: 4.9 in 1001 in 21
Typical first-year earnings: $856top tenth $32,534+
Chance against standard: the base
Typical against standard: the base

West-facing viewHolds

Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games mostly reviewed in Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 58 of 1,089 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.

Launches counted: 1,03152 hits
Earned $100k+: 5.0 in 1001 in 20
Typical first-year earnings: $882
Chance against standard: +3.6%0.2 more in 100
Typical against standard: +3.0%$26 more

Without the breakoutHolds

Drops the single biggest earner, Nine Sols (31.7% of the money): 1,088 launches left. It moves the answer when that one game earned over half the money.

Launches counted: 1,08852 hits
Earned $100k+: 4.8 in 1001 in 21
Typical first-year earnings: $856
Chance against standard: -1.8%0.1 fewer in 100
Typical against standard: 0.0%no change

Last 18 monthsHolds

Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 266 of 1,089.

Launches counted: 26614 hits
Earned $100k+: 5.3 in 1001 in 19
Typical first-year earnings: $766
Chance against standard: +8.1%0.4 more in 100
Typical against standard: -10.5%$90 less

Standard: Every indie paid launch tagged Hand-drawn, 12 to 36 months old: 1,089 launches.
West-facing view: Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games mostly reviewed in Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 58 of 1,089 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Without the breakout: Drops the single biggest earner, Nine Sols (31.7% of the money): 1,088 launches left. It moves the answer when that one game earned over half the money.
Last 18 months: Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 266 of 1,089.

Visual Novel is audience split: West-facing view moves the answer more than chance alone would. It holds in Without the breakout and Last 18 months.

Visual Novel through every lens, all prices
Visual Novel	BaseStandardevery launch	West-facing view1,641 of 1,872 launches	Without the breakout1,871 of 1,872 launches	Last 18 months534 of 1,872 launches
Launches counted	1,872130 hits	1,64199 hits	1,871129 hits	53441 hits
Earned $100k+	6.9 in 1001 in 14	6.0 in 1001 in 17	6.9 in 1001 in 15	7.7 in 1001 in 13
Typical first-year earnings	$1,448top tenth $61,563+	$1,430	$1,445	$1,594
Chance against standard	the base	-13.1%0.9 fewer in 100	-0.7%no change	+10.6%0.7 more in 100
Typical against standard	the base	-1.2%$18 less	-0.2%$3 less	+10.1%$146 more
Does it hold?	The base view	Moves the answer	Holds	Holds

BaseStandardThe base view

Every indie paid launch tagged Visual Novel, 12 to 36 months old: 1,872 launches.

Launches counted: 1,872130 hits
Earned $100k+: 6.9 in 1001 in 14
Typical first-year earnings: $1,448top tenth $61,563+
Chance against standard: the base
Typical against standard: the base

West-facing viewMoves the answer

Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games mostly reviewed in Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 231 of 1,872 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.

Launches counted: 1,64199 hits
Earned $100k+: 6.0 in 1001 in 17
Typical first-year earnings: $1,430
Chance against standard: -13.1%0.9 fewer in 100
Typical against standard: -1.2%$18 less

Without the breakoutHolds

Drops the single biggest earner, Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut (7.1% of the money): 1,871 launches left. It moves the answer when that one game earned over half the money.

Launches counted: 1,871129 hits
Earned $100k+: 6.9 in 1001 in 15
Typical first-year earnings: $1,445
Chance against standard: -0.7%no change
Typical against standard: -0.2%$3 less

Last 18 monthsHolds

Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 534 of 1,872.

Launches counted: 53441 hits
Earned $100k+: 7.7 in 1001 in 13
Typical first-year earnings: $1,594
Chance against standard: +10.6%0.7 more in 100
Typical against standard: +10.1%$146 more

Standard: Every indie paid launch tagged Visual Novel, 12 to 36 months old: 1,872 launches.
West-facing view: Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games mostly reviewed in Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 231 of 1,872 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Without the breakout: Drops the single biggest earner, Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut (7.1% of the money): 1,871 launches left. It moves the answer when that one game earned over half the money.
Last 18 months: Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 534 of 1,872.

A lens moves the chance only when it differs from standard by more than a random cut of the same size would, with 5+ hits on both sides; typical earnings are compared from 100 launches, within 25%. Without the breakout moves the answer when one game earned over half the money. Lens figures by price band are not computed yet, so this table is for all prices.

5Premium early list

Alerts when Hand-drawn + Visual Novel moves, comparables the day they land, and every lens for every pair and price. Free until launch.

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Keep gold access after launch: alerts, comparables, every lens.