GhostedKoii's game studioPlay freeGhosted copies five real indie visual novel businesses: a free start, a paid full game, a Fan Pack, a supporter page and merch drops. Every number below is an estimate and shows its math. Nothing is for sale until a parent opens the seller account.
Team Salvato
Free, name your price. $10 or more unlocks a Fan Pack (soundtrack, wallpapers, concept art booklet). Same pack on Steam for $9.99.
Proof: 4.8 stars from 6,588 ratings on itch.io
Copied: Free game + paid Fan Pack of the art. A character voice on the store page.
SourceBrianna Lei, solo
Free, name your price. $5 or more adds a 30 page bonus art PDF. Tip buttons $1, $2, $5, $10.
Proof: 4.9 stars from 4,287 ratings; a sequel and a Kickstarter followed
Copied: A $5 sketchbook PDF as the cheapest paid thing. A devlog on the store page.
SourceGB Patch Games
Main story free forever. Paid DLCs at $3.99 and $2.99, soundtrack $8.99, a Patreon, limited-time merch drops.
Proof: 4.9 stars from 7,814 ratings; Patreon about $27,500 a month (outside tracker, estimate)
Copied: "Play as you" as the hook. Free story start, paid extra parts, a supporter page, merch drops.
SourceBlack Tabby Games, 2 people
Kickstarter first, then a paid game. Merch at Fangamer: sticker sheet $15, keychain $14, plush $39, art book $59. A $1 Patreon thank-you tier.
Proof: Kickstarter AU$81,814 from 2,726 backers; about 80,000 copies in 3 to 4 weeks after one big video
Copied: The merch line, pre-orders instead of stock, a $1 thank-you tier.
SourceMado, solo
Free demo next to a $10 full game.
Proof: Demo about 10,000 downloads, full game about 1,000 (from the creator's postmortem)
Copied: The demo-first funnel and the 1 in 10 ratio, used as our best case.
SourceNo download
Part 1 runs in the browser on a phone. None of the five references do that on their main page.
You are in the ad
You type your name on the first screen, and the ad shows that screen.
No unsold stock
Merch is made only after a pre-order window closes. No money is spent up front.
Numbers with their math
Every money number shows its source and says estimate. The roadmap moves on player counts.
The ads do not sell anything directly. They bring people to the free Part 1, and a few of those players buy later. A parent posts them on the studio account; paid boosts start only after an organic post brings players, with a small test budget a parent sets.
Type your name
Goal: New players for Part 1
Team Nei or Team Niko?
Goal: Comments and shares
Take the ghosts home
Goal: Pre-orders
Slow
$203
left over in year one (estimate)
500 players, 2 in 100 buy. 2 in 100 buy: the ratio from Ghosted's own plan for small pay-what-you-want games.
Steady
$1,332
left over in year one (estimate)
2,000 players, 5 in 100 buy. 5 in 100 buy: between Ghosted's plan and Bad Faith's real numbers.
Breakout
$9,179
left over in year one (estimate)
10,000 players, 10 in 100 buy. 10 in 100 buy: Bad Faith's real demo to full game ratio (10,000 to 1,000).
All figures are estimates in US dollars, before tax. The real win of year one is players and a waitlist, which makes Part 2 and game 2 easier.
Platforms (checked 2026-11-03)
itch.io
Seller picks; 10% default, plus processing. Seller 18+, or a parent manages the account.
Steam
$100 per game (paid back after $1,000 in sales); Valve keeps 30%. Adult or company account.
Patreon
10% plus processing. 13+ with a parent's permission.
Ko-fi
5% on shop items on the free plan. 18+, so a parent's account.
Studio rules