Summary
There wasa lot of controversy last yeararound whetherDave the Divercounts as an indie game after it was nominated at The Game Awards. The consensus seemed to be ‘no’, something thatdirector Jaeho Hwang himself agreed with, but now developer Mintrocket is actually going independent. Playing the long game, eh?
As reported byNaver, the studio is leaving Nexon, although the publishing giant will continue to support the studio by investing in the newly independent team. Nexon has already held internal talks about the move, but will speak with its employees tomorrow to discuss things further.
Dave the Diver was a huge success for the studio. Not only was Mintrocket’s debut game nominated for one of the biggest awards of last year (even if said nomination is arguably in the wrong category), but it sold an incredibly impressive three million copies. A bold first step for the two-year-old studio.
A Brief History Of Mintrocket
Originally a Neople Inc. and Studio 42 developed mobile gameintended to launch in 2019 in collaboration with National Geographic, Dave the Diver was re-revealed in 2022 under the newly formed Mintrocket, launching for PC at first and then eventually Nintendo Switch and PlayStation instead of the originally-intended mobile. It entered early access in late 2022 to near-universal acclaim, before launching proper a few months later in 2023.
It’s worth noting that Hwang remained as director despite the shift in studios.
As Naver speculates, the reason for its newfound independence might be because of an exodus of talent from Nexon — several high profile developers have left the company over the last few years to found their own studios. Going standalone with an investment from Nexon may be its way of retaining talent through synergy with external studios rather than waiting for developers to go independent themselves.
Whatever the reason, Mintrocket’s next game will beactuallybe indie this time, which after all the hubbub last year is an interesting turn of fate.
Dave the Diver
WHERE TO PLAY
Dave the Diver sees you play the titular seafarer as he explores the Blue Hole, a colossal deep sea region, as he seeks the perfect ingredients for his upmarket sushi restaurant. Combining an adventure RPG with management mechanics, it boasts an incredibly satisfying gameplay loop.
