Nexon spins off Dave the Diver dev Mintrocket into a full corporation
Mintrocket, the studio behind 2023’s breakout hit Dave the Diver, has been converted into a full corporation by parent company Nexon.
This “new” company will exist as a subsidiary of Nexon Korea, and Dave director Jaeho Hwang has been nominated as its CEO. Nexon is looking to grow Mintrocket as a studio with a “reputation for rapid development of highly innovative games.”
It also hopes Mintrocket can build its independent culture through “faster decision making and simplified business procedures.”
Dave the Diver was a critical and commercial darling for Nexon last year, and managed to sell 1 million copies over a week after launch. The press release notes it’s now sold 4 million copies, following on from the 3 million milestone in January.
Mintrocket has kept the game going with free post-launch packs that feature new fish to catch and weather affects, along with crossovers with fellow indie hits Dredge and Balatro, and Godzilla.
The game is a far cry from Nexon’s typical MMO or live-service wheelhouse. Nexon admitted as such, and said Mintrocket’s new structure reflects its “fresh approach to developing highly-engaging small-scale games” for global audiences.
Last year, Game Developer spoke with Hwang about blending fishing and cooking into a single game, which you can read here.
About the Author
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him about how much gum he’s had, because the answer will be more than he’s willing to admit.
