Dorian, a fast-growing game platform serving mostly female game creators and fans, has added interactive video integration with its user-generated content (UGC) games.
Aiming to revolutionize the way developers and storytellers build interactive games, Dorian said it has become a go-to platform for game industry professionals, indie studios and creators.
It has more than 9,000 published creators and 11,000 released games. Dorian is for those looking to turn their ideas into successful free-to-play games—without the need for a traditional studio or external funding.
Dorian’s new interactive video feature lets creators seamlessly add video to their games—no coding required—expanding creative possibilities and unlocking major opportunities in two of mobile’s fastest-growing categories: dating sims and mini-drama.
According to AppMagic, visual novels—driven by dating sims—were among the fastest-growing genres in 2024. Top-grossing titles emerged from Asia, while Western markets are expected to follow. Meanwhile, Forbes reports mini-drama surged 35% year-over-year, reaching $7 billion in China, with global revenue hitting $2 billion and climbing.
Unlike mini drama apps that have just started experimenting with interactivity, Dorian offers a full no-code infrastructure, allowing creators to build and monetize interactive mini-dramas in hours.
Dorian said it is democratizing game development by eliminating the need for large budgets and technical expertise. The platform provides a no-code engine, text-to-game importer, and a Baldur’s Gate 3-style relationship system, enabling storytellers turn their vision into cinematic games within days rather than years. Cloud-based collaboration tools streamline real-time team work remotely, while deep analytics help creators optimize player engagement and monetization.
“At Dorian, we’ve made a major investment in democratizing game creation and distribution, empowering indie developers and solo creators to build culturally resonant games for the fandoms they understand best—without the barriers of venture capital or publisher funding,” said Julia Palatovska, founder of Dorian, in a statement. “We’re committed to delivering powerful tools and growth opportunities, enabling creators and developers to accelerate their businesses and making game development truly accessible to talent everywhere.”
Success stories on Dorian underscore its impact. Slashfic, a horror game that was launched with virtually no upfront budget, hit $1.2 million in user spend within five months, generating a passionate fanbase. Narrative designer Noe Sawaya used Dorian to break into the industry with their game Heartsworn, landing multiple interviews with game studios.
“As someone new to the industry, I was intimidated by how difficult it was to find entry-level positions for narrative design,” Sawaya said, in a statement. “My MA degree in creative writing and publishing didn’t quite match industry portfolio standards, and Dorian gave me the opportunity to prove to potential employers that I was gaining the skills I needed to succeed as a full-time game writer. Publishing on the platform gave me the portfolio I needed to make it into interviews with multiple studios – and the feedback within those interviews has surrounded my work on Dorian.”
In fall of 2025, Dorian hosted the Dorian Legends Grant Program, which had a total of 70 projects submitted to a panel of judges represented by the games industry and social media influencers. Out of these submissions, Dorian awarded cash grants to 23 teams of up-and-coming creators from all backgrounds.
These applicants– almost all of whom identify as women, non-binary, or trans– published their first episodes and earned a combined $38,000 in their first 3 months since joining the program, a huge accomplishment for brand new game creators.
Veteran developers are also embracing Dorian. Ryan Kaufman, former narrative director at Telltale Games, served as a judge on the Legends program and is now developing his first game on Dorian.
“Dorian offers games industry professionals, in particular narrative designers and artists, the opportunity to build games on their own terms,” Kaufman said, in a statement. “I’m able to bring my creative ideas to a passionate community without having to fund a large production, giving me an unprecedented chance to experiment and bet on myself.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Dorian said it is positioned to be a hub for double-A games, enabling developers to build deeper, more interactive experiences powered by LiveOps and dynamic monetization. With a 90% female and 80% Gen Z/Millennial audience, Dorian provides instant access to an engaged community eager for new storytelling experiences.
Dorian is hosting a GDC side event From Weird to Wealth: How to Validate and Build Million-Dollar Games on UGC Platforms from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on March 18.
The event will include a panel discussion on the funding landscape for new game projects in 2025 and how UGC platforms help de-risk new projects. The event’s highlight will be a game pitching workshop with a $500 cash award for the best pitch determined by the panel of judges.
Dorian has grown to 20 employees and it has raised $19.3 million to date. All of the successful Dorian games are multi-episodic series. And the successful creators are maintaining a release schedule of at least one episode per week.