This is quite possibly the way you will get players. Making something new and unique to the usual game genre can really get players interested.
Sure thing! Some players are obsessed with hangout games, they’re a place to come and socialise this can be really appealing to some (especially the younger audience).
Try and maintain a steady flow of players, i’m not sure about you but I wouldn’t really buy a gamepass or developer product in a game that has no players.
The ways you are going to make money is through developer products and gamepasses. You obviously don’t want any major paywalls. Here’s a list of things that you could add and small explanation:
VIP or Premium
You can see that most front page games (best robux makers) have a VIP or something similar. There’s plenty of reasons why this is an excellent gamepass to have.
Most VIP gamepasses have a chat colour, badge, and or above player tag.
Another thing you could include in the gamepass is exclusive items and maybe a small bonus of in-game currency (if you have an economy system). This creates an exclusivity aspect, this is also a great Marketing Strategy that a lot of big real world company’s use. This exclusivity aspect can drive up demand and increase value of the gamepass. By giving exclusivity you can create a feeling of speciality. You could also add a VIP only area, so that all the VIP members can socialise together.
Overall, make a VIP gamepass or something similar that gives users special privileges that the general public is not entitled to.
In-game items/emotes
Another gamepass most front page games have is in-game items such as a boombox. This gives the players the feeling of exclusivity and also gives the players something else to do that again is not available to those who have not purchased it.
Effects
You could also add player effects like a trail, walkspeed, etc. This can make the players more appealing to others in the game and can bring attention to the buyer. This also creates a feeling of exclusivity.
Limited Gamepasses
Making limited gamepasses can make the player almost want to buy even if they don’t play the game often purely because there’s a deadline, and once its gone… Its gone!
Currency
If you have a currency system then add the option to buy the currency. And add things that gives a reason to buy currency. Maybe you could make it so you only get little currency by obtaining it in-game.
And if you want you could add another currency that you either can’t get in-game period or only get tiny amounts.
VIP Commands
I realise that you don’t want to add admin commands which is totally understandable and I agree with you.
However, you could add VIP commands, these obviously will be harmless to other players but the buyer is able to change their character’s appearance.
There’s plenty more to mention, these are only things I could think of on the spot. Just look at other hangout games and also front page games to get an idea of what you want to add.
Good luck!