Mintrocket, the studio behind the 2023 hit Dave the diver, has been converted into a complete company from parent company Nexon.
This “new” company will exist as a subsidiary of Nexon Korea and David Director Jaeho Hwang has been named CEO. Nexon is looking to grow Mintrocket as a studio with a “reputation for rapidly developing highly innovative games.”
He also hopes that Mintrocket can build its own independent culture through “faster decisions and streamlined business processes.”
Dave the Diver was a critical and commercial darling for Nexon last year, and managed to sell 1 million copies within a week of its release. The press release notes that it has now sold 4 million copies, following the 3 million milestone in January.
Mintrocket has continued to keep the game going with free post-launch packs that include new fish to catch and weather effects, along with crossovers with other indie hits Dredge AND Balatro, and Godzilla.
The game is far from your typical Nexon MMO or live service wheelhouse. Nexon acknowledged as much, saying that Mintrocket’s new structure reflects its “fresh approach to developing highly engaging, small-scale games” for a global audience.
Last year, Game Developer spoke with Hwang about combining fishing and cooking into one game, which you can read Here.