Dave the Diver was one of 2023’s unexpected hits that accumulated plenty of awards in addition to a wave of fan support. On Twitter, Mintrocket announced that the game has sold 3 million copies globally.
This is certainly an achievement to be proud of, but it is far from the only thing the studio has to celebrate. Dave the Diver recently won the Sit Back and Relax award at The Steam Awards, and found itself nominated at both The Golden Joystick Awards and The Game Awards 2023. Our own Christine Choi gave the game a 9/10, praising its ability to “offer a lighthearted story and engaging gameplay.”
Despite the accolades, the game has attracted some controversy due to frequently being labeled an indie title, including at The Game Awards. Although Mintrocket is a smaller studio, it falls under the billion-dollar corporation Nexon, which brings the game’s indie status into question. This raises debates over what qualifies as indie, and whether the category has become more a matter of aesthetics.
There are further content updates in store for Dave the Diver, as developers believe the characters still have more stories to tell. Planned content includes further side missions added to the latter half of the story.