Dave the Diver sold 3 million copies in just 7 months

Breakout indie hit Dave the Diver found big success in 2023, selling more copies during the year than some AAA games.

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In terms of game selection, 2023 was one of the best years in gaming history. The wide spectrum of games yielded big selection variety for gamers, and despite the congested slate of franchised games, consumers were ready and willing to buy cheaper indie games. Since 2020 or thereabouts, we've seen millions of gamers gravitate towards indies through social word-of-mouth, likely driven by streamers and influencers. Dave the Diver is one of these games.

According to a new update from the developers at Mintrocket, Dave the Diver has sold 3 million copies since launching in June 2023. That's no small feat for a AAA game (3 million sales in 7 months is considered a win at most publishers), let alone a smaller-scale game like Dave the Diver.

The aquatic adventure is praised for its wide variety of content, visual style, and gameplay that emphasizes fun over all else. What's even more interesting is that the game was made by Mintrocket, which is a subsidiary of live service microtransaction titan Nexon. Think of Mintrocket as Nexon's own version of Take-Two's Private Division, or even the EA Originals label.

On its official website, Mintrocket explains its formula for new games:

"There are hundreds of things to consider when creating a game.

"However, the single most important thing is the fun. We boldy put aside the old conventions once considered the standards of success, and decided to stick tenaciously to focusing on the 'fun' of a game."