Papergames, the studio most known for mobile games like Infinity Nikki and Love and Deepspace reportedly made around AUD $1.3 billion in 2024, thanks to the global spread of its most popular games. While the studio has been around since 2013, it’s only now achieved major success, likely driven by the rise of the otome (story-romance) mobile game genre in the West, the approachability of modern mobile games, and the rise of casual gaming.
The AUD $1.3 billion figure was first reported by Forbes, which noted the studio’s success had largely been driven by the recent launch of Love and Deepspace, and its dedicated, mostly female player base.
Love and Deepspace is a mobile otome game with gacha elements that invites players to journey through a story, guided by a group of attractive men. Each has their own unique personality and desires, and they all have a proclivity for flirting with the player. To simplify it, Forbes calls the game an “AI boyfriend” sim, although it’s fair to say Love and Deepspace goes much deeper, with players able to take on a range of adventures with the main cast.
Since launch, Love and Deepspace has been a major hit in Papergames’ native China, and overseas. (Anecdotally, I have several friends who play Love and Deepspace religiously, and it’s been a frequent feature of recent artist alleys and conventions I’ve attended.)
Read: Infinity Nikki gets rave reviews ahead of launch
Per Forbes, the success of this game bolstered Papergames significantly in 2024, buoying the company to its biggest year ever. What’s perhaps most notable about this success is that Papergames pointedly targets its games to women, with a variety of experiences that speak directly to them – typically by elevating traditionally “feminine” gaming features (dressing up, romancing characters, cosy gameplay).
While it has changed significantly in recent years, there is still an assumption that only male-focussed games succeed, and that they make up the biggest and most lucrative share of the games market. Papergames is one of a handful of developers proving this assumption wrong, with Love and Deepspace being a primary example of how to appeal to the female demographic, and provide them with an experience they feel is worth investing in.
An experienced player might say the game succeeds on the power of its personalities, with strong, indulgent writing and visually-appealing characters making for a game that becomes a novel, welcome part of the everyday. Players are much more likely to spend on games that feel rewarding, and so, Love and Deepspace has become a success.
Based on Forbes‘ reporting, it appears Papergames has struck gold with this release, finding a place with keen female gamers who are looking for something different in their mobile game experience – something more romantic and personal.
With Papergames having released Infinity Nikki during the tail end of 2024, and Love and Deepspace continuing to grow its audience base, we expect the company will report even more success for the 2025 period.
Notably, while the Love Nikki series which started this climb was never quite taken seriously at launch – often dismissed as being “games for girls” – it’s clear there’s a lucrative market in appealing largely to women. With the otome genre now more popular than ever, it’s very clear that “games for girls” are a real force to be reckoned with.
