SOFIA, Bulgaria – When Gaming Adult debuted its flagship game “Hentai Heroes” back in 2016, it wasn’t clear whether the market was ripe for it. Two years and several million passionate players later, the company finds itself nominated for YNOT Awards in both the Best Gaming Company and Best Emerging Company categories.

To Onizuka, Gaming Adult’s resident Business Developer, the success of the company’s games and resulting awards nominations are a clear vindication of the company’s vision – and a reward for taking a chance on a concept which had its share of skeptics at the time.

“Each year we see many new actors entering the (adult gaming) market,” Onizuka said. “We feel proud to have been one of the first companies to believe in it.”

While adult-themed video games are not a new development (old-school gamers may remember, fondly or otherwise, classic adult games like “Leisure Suit Larry”), but when it comes to appealing to porn viewers, creating a large and loyal following and generating revenue for advertisers and distributors, most of those games have fallen flat over the years.

Part of what has made Hentai Heroes (and Gaming Adult’s other hit, “Gay Harem”) stand out from the crowd of other adult video games has been its performance in converting and retaining customers. As it turns out, it was anticipation of the game’s ability to draw customers and keep them coming back for more which gave Onizuka and his colleagues the confidence to develop and distribute it in the first place – and which continues to inspire their faith in the future of the adult videogaming market.

“Like in the mainstream market, the freemium model appears to be one of the most lucrative ways to earn money, with fast ROI and high engagement rate form the players,” Onizuka said. “We knew we were onto something big when we launched our first hit back in 2016, which is now one of the most popular online games in the world. Three years ago, there was almost nothing in this niche, now there are many independent studios and big publishing platforms. It’s very exciting to see how big the market will grow in the upcoming years.”

The 8^th Annual YNOT Awards are coming up on September 15 at Prague’s legendary National House of Vinohrady. For a full list of award categories and other information about the show, please visit YNOTAwards.com.