Team Salvato
Team Salvato is an independent game studio developing narrative-driven visual novels, best known for the psychological horror title Doki Doki Literature Club, which has reached over 20 million downloads across PC, console, and mobile platforms. The studio monetizes through premium game editions, merchandise, and fan-art licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBoise, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Team Salvato does
Team Salvato is a privately held, founder-owned independent game development studio founded in 2015 and operating under Dan Salvato LLC, headquartered in Boise, United States. The studio is best known for Doki Doki Literature Club (DDLC), a psychological horror visual novel released in September 2017 that subverts the dating sim genre with meta-narrative mechanics including self-modifying game files. The original game was built on the Ren'Py engine, while DDLC Plus (released June 2021) was rebuilt in Unity for console distribution. The studio operates a small team of approximately five core members led by founder Dan Salvato (Studio Director), with specialized roles covering executive direction, visual design, development/community management, and brand management.
The studio's business model combines a freemium gaming strategy with diversified merchandise and licensing revenue. The base DDLC game is offered free across Steam, itch.io, iOS, and Android, while DDLC Plus is sold as a one-time premium upgrade on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and as a mobile add-on. Revenue streams include one-time game licenses, physical and digital merchandise sold through the company's own storefront (ddlcstore.com) and partner retailers (The Yetee, Sanshee, iam8bit, Youtooz, Good Smile US, and others), and fan-art licensing royalties through a partnership with For Fans By Fans. The studio has no institutional investors and no disclosed external funding.
Team Salvato reaches a globally distributed consumer base of more than 20 million downloads across platforms, with the game holding the #1 top-rated visual novel position on Steam. The studio serves visual novel enthusiasts, anime/manga culture fans, gaming content creators, and dedicated collectors/merchandise buyers. Distribution is handled through digital storefronts, console platforms (published by Serenity Forge), and mobile app stores, with a planned retro Amiga project (Magicore Anomala) and two unrevealed projects in the development pipeline as of late 2025.
Team Salvato firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Team Salvato
- Legal name
- Dan Salvato LLC
- Website
- https://teamsalvato.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Team Salvato is an independent game studio developing narrative-driven visual novels, best known for the psychological horror title Doki Doki Literature Club, which has reached over 20 million downloads across PC, console, and mobile platforms. The studio monetizes through premium game editions, merchandise, and fan-art licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Team Salvato industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indie Video Games
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios (MPAFAAAM)
Keywords
Where Team Salvato is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boise
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Team Salvato business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Game sales (DDLC Plus): Premium version of the game sold on PC and consoles (Switch, PlayStation, Xbox) with additional content including Side Stories, image gallery, music player, and HD assets. Mobile version offers base game free with optional paid DDLC Plus add-on.
- Merchandise sales: Physical merchandise including t-shirts, posters, keychains, plushes, vinyl soundtracks, enamel pins sold through own store (ddlcstore.com) and partner retailers including The Yetee, Sanshee, iam8bit, Youtooz, and others.
- Fan art licensing: Partnership with For Fans By Fans to turn fan art into officially licensed merchandise, with fan artists receiving a share of revenue from designs.
- Platform awards and recognition: Won multiple IGN People's Choice awards and SXSW Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award, driving visibility and downloads.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free base game - Doki Doki Literature Club |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | DDLC Plus premium upgrade |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | DDLC Merchandise |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Team Salvato product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Team Salvato is an independent game studio that develops and sells narrative-focused video games, headlined by the free psychological horror visual novel Doki Doki Literature Club (DDLC) and its premium expanded edition DDLC Plus. The studio monetizes through paid game sales, merchandise, fan-art licensing, and publishing partnerships.
Product overview
Team Salvato is a small independent game studio offering a portfolio of narrative-driven visual novels. Its core flagship product is Doki Doki Literature Club (DDLC), a free psychological horror visual novel released in 2017, supplemented by Doki Doki Literature Club Plus — a premium expanded edition (2021) adding 6 Side Stories, a music player, and an image gallery across PC and console platforms. Additional titles include the unrevealed Magicore Anomala (a retro Amiga bullet hell game) and two unnamed future visual novels. The studio also distributes free digital asset packs (wallpapers, emoji packs, animated Discord stickers, and Nendoroid DIY packs) as fan appreciation offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Doki Doki Literature Club (DDLC) A free psychological horror visual novel released in September 2017 that subverts the dating sim genre to explore players' relationships with fictional characters. Won the SXSW Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award in 2018.
- Doki Doki Literature Club Plus (DDLC Plus) A premium expanded edition of DDLC available on PC and consoles that adds over 50% new story content (6 Side Stories), a 100+ image gallery, a 26-track music player with HD assets, and multilingual support.
- Doki Doki Literature Club Mobile iOS and Android mobile version of DDLC released in December 2025, with the base game free and DDLC Plus features (Side Stories, image gallery, music player) available as a paid in-app add-on.
- DDLC Branded Merchandise Physical merchandise including t-shirts, posters, keychains, plushes, vinyl soundtracks, enamel pins, acrylic stands, and Nendoroid figures sold through ddlcstore.com and partner retailers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 20 million+ downloads across all platforms
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Team Salvato
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Team Salvato technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Team Salvato partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- The YeteeminorMerchandise partner producing DDLC-themed enamel pin sets, acrylic stands, and exclusive t-shirt designs. Also partnered for Mental Health Awareness Month campaign.
- SansheeminorMerchandise partner producing DDLC lenticular pins featuring iconic moments and Monika Collector's Plush available for pre-order.
- Take ThisminorMental health charity partnership for Mental Health Awareness Month. Team Salvato matched donations made to Take This, a 501(c)(3) non-profit mental health organization providing resources for the game development community. Raised $13,476 in the 2022 campaign.
- Serenity ForgecoreSerenity Forge serves as the publishing partner for DDLC Plus, handling both digital and physical distribution on PC and consoles (Switch, PlayStation, Xbox). They provide significant development support from their team of skilled programmers, and handle merchandise distribution through their store. The partnership enabled DDLC's first console release and international appearance supporting languages throughout Europe, Asia, and South America.
- For Fans By FansminorPartnership to turn fan art into officially licensed DDLC merchandise including t-shirts, prints, wallets, bags, and other accessories. Fan artists whose designs are selected receive a licensing deal plus a share of revenue.
- iam8bitminorPartnership to produce and sell official DDLC vinyl soundtrack with art by OMOCAT. iam8bit specializes in collectible video game merchandise and music releases.
- Good Smile USminorPartner for DDLC merchandise distribution including Nendoroid figures and related products.
- YoutoozminorMerchandise partner producing DDLC collectible figures and products.
- Insert Coin ClothingminorGaming apparel partner for DDLC merchandise.
- Ocean in SpaceminorMerchandise partner for DDLC products.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Team Salvato competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Serenity Forge: Publishing partner for DDLC Plus across PC, consoles, and mobile. Serenity Forge is an indie publisher that handles distribution and co-development support, making it directly comparable as a partner with overlapping business operations in narrative indie game publishing.
- Supergiant Games: Independent game studio known for narrative-driven titles like Hades and Bastion. Similar small-team indie model focused on story-rich games with strong critical acclaim, making it a direct peer in indie narrative game development.
- Night School Studio: Indie studio behind narrative games like Oxenfree and Afterparty. Focuses on character-driven storytelling with unconventional mechanics, similar to Team Salvato's subversion-of-expectations approach in DDLC.
- Key (Visual Arts): Japanese visual novel developer known for emotionally driven titles like Clannad and Rewrite. Directly comparable as a studio specializing in character-focused narrative experiences within the visual novel genre.
- Type-Moon: Developer of the Fate/stay night and Tsukihime visual novel series. Comparable as an indie-adjacent visual novel studio with strong community engagement and franchise expansion into merchandise and multimedia.
- Playdead: Danish indie studio behind Limbo and Inside. Small-team narrative game developer with art-driven storytelling and strong critical acclaim, making it a comparable indie model.
Broad incumbents
- Dontnod Entertainment: Established developer of narrative-choice games like Life is Strange and Tell Me Why. Comparable in its focus on branching narratives and psychological themes, though operating at larger scale than Team Salvato.
- Spike Chunsoft: Publisher and developer known for visual novels like the Danganronpa series and Steins;Gate. Operates in the same visual novel space with comparable narrative-driven gameplay and similar distribution through Steam and consoles.
Emerging players
- OMOCAT: Original character designer for DDLC. Operates as an independent artist with merchandise and creative projects in adjacent aesthetic spaces (anime/Japanese-inspired), with direct creative overlap with Team Salvato.
Others
- iam8bit: Collectible merchandise and vinyl soundtrack producer for DDLC. Operates as an adjacent ecosystem partner enabling the studio's physical goods revenue stream.
Market position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Team Salvato social profiles
Digital presenceTeam Salvato financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Team Salvato leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Team Salvato funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Team Salvato M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Team Salvato
What does Team Salvato do?
Team Salvato is an independent game studio that develops and sells narrative-focused video games, headlined by the free psychological horror visual novel Doki Doki Literature Club (DDLC) and its premium expanded edition DDLC Plus. The studio monetizes through paid game sales, merchandise, fan-art licensing, and publishing partnerships.
Is Team Salvato a public or private company?
Team Salvato is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Team Salvato founded?
Team Salvato was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Team Salvato based?
Team Salvato is headquartered in Boise, United States, in the North America region.
How does Team Salvato make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Game sales (DDLC Plus) is the primary driver. The others are merchandise sales, fan art licensing and platform awards and recognition.
Who are Team Salvato's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Serenity Forge, Supergiant Games, Night School Studio, Key (Visual Arts), Type-Moon and Playdead. Broad incumbents are Dontnod Entertainment and Spike Chunsoft. OMOCAT is listed as an emerging player. iam8bit is listed as an others.
Does Team Salvato have an API?
No public API is recorded for Team Salvato.
What industry is Team Salvato in?
Team Salvato's product category is Indie Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAM, Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios. Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 2741.