A Look at the Future of the Adult Industry: Rising Verticals

History recalls George Harrison Marks, the revolutionary glamour photographer from Tottenham in Middlesex, England. In 1958, Marks began shooting short films of his models stripping and posing topless on 8mm film. Soon, these films were popularly referred to as “glamour home movies” and were sold at camera shops and through specially designed discreet mail order services. Marks later began producing porno flicks, setting the standard of 8mm in the adult industry.

Changing with the times

After the Golden Age of Porn, the internet permitted the expansion of the porn industry to reach new heights. Since the internet is now virtually accessible on any smart device in the world, adult entertainment providers have found new ways to market content that is designed to boost traffic, generate revenue, and keep consumers coming back for more. From gaming to virtual reality, the industry has made noticeable inroads into the new and exciting entertainment avenues.

YNOT reached out to some of these players to learn more about what it takes to stay relevant in an ever-changing, digital-first segment and a global economy.

Award-winning gaming studios

Gaming Adult, a gaming and affiliate platform, is one such company.

Described as a “friendly” competitor to MindGeek’s Nutaku platform, Gaming Adult managed to develop a twelve-year-long legacy of successful game design, platform hosting, and affiliate marketing strategy.

“For years, we’ve been developing and improving our games based on the freemium model and for now we are happy with it,” Magrat, the communications director for Gaming Adult, told YNOT.

“It has allowed us to create high-quality games, fund side projects and make us one of the best affiliate programs in the adult gaming industry,” Magrat said.

When asked about the purpose and mission of Gaming Adult, Magrat was clear.

“Users are now looking for free content. They want to see quality and make sure the content is worth their time and money,” she said. “It’s true for the adult industry and for the gaming one. All our games are free and the players get to decide if they would like to make in-game purchases. Of course, we make sure that the in-game purchases are easy and secure. Because of our unique content, positive spin on hentai, loads of humor and focus on community, we have some of the best conversion and retention rates on the market. We have more than fifteen million registered players and over 300,000 daily active users.”

Such a hefty presence of users has paid off, it seems. Gaming Adult is behind popular adult gaming titles like Gay Harem, Hentai Clicker, and Hentai Heroes.

“Gaming Adult has always been ready to adapt,” Magrat said.

“Our motto is “make win-win” deals. And when the situation allows it once again, attend events and conferences. Personal contact is priceless.”

Virtual reality frontiers

Recent years have also seen substantial growth in consumer adoption of virtual reality (VR) entertainment technologies, which is proving a boon to the adult businesses who have moved quickly to tap into this growing market.

“With the release of standalone virtual reality headsets, we’ve noticed significant growth in our userbase every year,” Lisa Moore, Chief Evangelist for VRPorn.com, told YNOT. “By lowering the threshold required to experience great VR porn, these headsets are catalysts for the VR segment of the adult industry. The growth driven by the recent arrival of the Quest 2 has been especially notable.”

Exploiting the opportunity presented by the growing market for VR entertainment presents a different set of challenges from other mediums for adult entertainment, at least from a content production standpoint.

“The rules of content production in VR are different from those of traditional media,” Moore said. “Things that are fine in 2D can be disorienting in VR. Performing is also completely different. As video cuts can break immersion, the talent needs to get explicit instructions from the director before shooting. Stitching the video correctly after shooting requires a strong understanding of VR post-production.”

Fortunately for aspiring adult VR producers, companies that have already conquered the learning curve can offer the benefit of their experience to those following in their footsteps.

“VRPorn.com has extensive expertise in this area and we are happy to help out,” Moore said.

The VR market is far from done growing, too. Just as with every new entertainment and communications technology that preceded VR, the maturation of the market will be a gradual process – but that process is coming along nicely.

“VR technology is improving exponentially,” Moore said. “It’s like the early days of smartphones. There has been huge progress already and it continues every year. As VR gets easier and better, mass adoption increases – and what’s good for VR is good for VR Porn.”

As an early adopter of VR, it’s no surprise that VRPorn.com is well-positioned to take advantage of the emerging adult VR market and has a solid strategy for continued growth.

“Whether it’s content from the best studios, WebXR content, or groundbreaking PCVR games, we’re always at the cutting edge of this emerging technology,” Moorse said. “We’re looking to bring our users the best adult VR experiences possible through our VRPorn.com Premium service, the best product on the market with everything in one place.”

Other industry developments of note

Outside of gaming and VR, content creators are also adopting brand new strategies to monetize their content. Take Adult Time starlet and OnlyFans model Siri Dahl, for example.

In recent months, Dahl has made headlines for minting several non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Similar to the concept of cryptocurrency and blockchain infrastructure, NFTs are a unique digital unit and cannot be interchanged. NFTs file types thus far have included visual art, audio, video and other creative works.

Tokens are auctioned off to the highest bidder who pays out with crypto like ethereum. The marriage of blockchain and the porn industry has the potential to be a huge business. NFTs, as a new kind of ‘digital collectible,’ could serve as the next generation for distributing media like a virtual Pokémon card, a rare comic book or a traditional artwork, painting, a photo, video, and/or audio. Models like Dahl are cashing in on the new technology, and it’s likely here to stay.

At a time when consumer entertainment and communications technologies are emerging and evolving at a rapid pace, adult studios and content creators are, in many ways, spoiled with a wide array of new and exciting avenues to generate traffic and revenue. Tapping into these new markets and revenue streams will be central to the success of adult performers, studios and content distributors alike in the years ahead.