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.