Problem with something like Vampire Survivors is that the quality of game you make has very little to do with its popularity. Even poncle (the guy who made VS)

Problem with something like Vampire Survivors is that the quality of game you make has very little to do with its popularity. Even poncle (the guy who made VS) admits this as there were many very similar games before VS and many after it. Some of those are objectively better video games but just never got popular. VS is basically an indie movie becoming a mainstream hit equivalent of video games. This is very different to something like Call of Duty, Diablo, The Last of Us, etc where you put a lot more money into the game and if you actually make a good game (and fund a large marketing budget) it will most likely sell well. Same recipe works for Disney and other large movie studios. Basically if you went to watch the next Marvel movie and you were greeted with $50 000 budged indie movie special effects and the no big name cast it gets you would you be a satisfied customer? (and you were expecting Marvel movie special effects and big star actors) And something like Call of Duty makes more money every month then Vampire Survivors has made in the ~1 year it has existed.