One of last year’s surprise hits came from the depths of the ocean – and no, it wasn’t a mutant sea monster or another Subnautica. It was Dave the Diver, a charming indie gem from Mintrocket and Nexon that had players diving for fish by day and running a sushi joint by night, all wrapped in quirky humour and addictively fun mechanics.
Even after 100+ hours, Dave the Diver is still a game I find myself going back to. It’s just that good. And now, things are about to get even more interesting.
At the helm of this seafood-and-sushi sensation is Jaeho Hwang, the game’s creator and director. After Dave the Diver made serious waves (pun intended) both critically and commercially, Nexon spun off Mintrocket into its own independent studio, with Hwang as CEO.
And with great power comes… more freedom to make awesome games! Hwang says Mintrocket’s newfound independence lets them focus on what matters – game development and, specifically, expanding the Dave the Diver universe (because who wouldn’t want a cinematic universe about a lovable diver-slash-sushi-chef?).
In an interview with VGC at Gamescom Asia, Hwang dropped some tantalizing hints: “I want to expand Dave the Diver’s IP. We’ve got relatable characters, but we didn’t dive too deep into their personal stories.” Hwang also dreams of standalone games for the eclectic cast, with each character potentially starring in their own game genre – a little RPG here, a platformer there.
And get this: Dave the Diver is technically already part of a larger universe. Cobra, one of the game’s more intense characters, actually first appeared in Hwang’s previous project, Evil Factory. Yep, Cobra was an arms dealer before trading his weapons for sushi rolls. And Hwang’s eager to tell even more of these interconnected stories.
While Mintrocket might explore beyond the world of Dave the Diver, Hwang insists the teams will stay small – 20 to 30 people – because, as we all know. too many cooks in the sushi kitchen could spoil the roll.
As for Dave the Diver itself, the post-launch DLCs have been wild. Godzilla? Check. Crossovers with Dredge and Balatro? Double check. But with a story-driven DLC on the horizon, it feels like the Dave universe is just getting started.
So, grab your pool floaties and get ready to dive deeper into the Dave the Diver IP. Just pray the spin-offs don’t go the way of Riot’s…