Think what you want about otome games, but the runaway success of Love and Deepspace's profit over the last year proves just how popular the genre is, and that there's a clear demand for male characters in games.
If you're not 100% sure what an otome game is, they're games focused on romantic storylines, usually featuring a female main character and plenty of male options to pick from. The content of the games does vary, but usually it's safe for work with a little kiss thrown in for good measure. Sometimes, games in the genre get a little wacky, like Hatoful Boyfriend that features… pigeons.
Needless to say, these games are popular. As reported by Shanghai Daily, Love and Deepspace earned over 5.8 billion yuan, which translates to US$826 million, globally in just over a year since its release.
The game welcomed over 50 million players, and finds itself at the top of iOS and Android download charts most of the time. It also tops Sensor Tower's revenue reports more often than not, too.
Another fun tidbit from Shine's article is that in 2024, the top seven otome games earned more than 10 billion yuan together. Outside of Love and Deepspace and their feisty fellas, Hoyoverse's Tears of Themis and titles by Tencent and NetEase help to bolster the industry of mobile men.
While you're here, you can grab the new Love and Deepspace codes from our guide. If you need a new device to play gacha games like this on, we can recommend some of the best gaming phones here to make your male friends pop.