Dave the Diver
Summary
Dave the Diverwas nominated in the Best Independent Game family at The Game Awards . Released on June 28 , 2023 , for macOS and Windows , and followed by aSwitch release on October 26,Dave the Diverhas captivated thespian worldwide with its unique , genre - bending gameplay . Part roguelike RPG and part eating place sim , it puts player in control of a diver , tax with fending off ocean monsters to supply a sushi eatery ’s walk - in fridge during the day , then serve out fish to exacting client at night . Over clock time , players can kick upstairs both Dave ’s diving and cooking equipment , unlock recipes , and pull in wealthy diner to make his business organization easier and more lucrative .
Dave the Diveris a delight to play , and has been truly praised as one of the most enjoyable and unusual games to come out this year . It definitely deserves some variety of nod at TGA , but as many users on X ( formerly Twitter ) have noted , the Best Indie Game award really should n’t lend oneself to it . Even the residential district notes have argued againstDave the Diverreally being an indie game , as observe in the post below .
The frailty president of Nexon , the studio apartment behindDave the Diver , even seems to agree , as Kim Dae - hwon has state , " It may calculate like an indie , but it ’s not needfully so . "
Related : From RHCP to Metal Gear Solid : Dave The Diver ’s Inspirations explain
Is Dave The Diver Even An Indie Game? The Answer Is Complicated
The problem most hoi polloi have take note is thatDave the Divershouldn’t qualify for TGA ’s Best Indie Game Award because it is n’t indiebecause it was developed by a vast game development studio apartment responsible for some greatly profitable , democratic games . Despite its low - fi aesthetics , relatively affordable price , and rejection of AAA game standard , Dave the Diverhas a short ton of big - studio apartment king behind it .
Dave the Diverwas developed by Nexon , a major developer / publishing company . It ’s most promptly consociate with the MMORPGMapleStory , which has been live and regularly update since 2003 . But Nexon is also responsible for publishing a lot of major deed of conveyance by other Brobdingnagian studios in South Korea : Counter - Strike Onlineand its continuation , Final Fantasy 14(which has since been transferred to Actoz Soft ) , and the mobile versions ofFIFAandEA FC .
However , Nexon did n’t just publishDave the Diver , but actively developed it ( the main ground it technically qualify as an " indie " deed of conveyance ) . It ’s credit to a smaller team called Mintrocket , but as a matter of fact , Mintrocket is solely owned by Nexon . It ’s Mintrocket ’s first release , for which it definitely merit to be commended , but it still has Nexon ’s financial support behind it , which is why it smudge the line for what really defines an indie game .
What Makes An Indie Game?
The Definition Of “Indie Games” Has Gotten Fuzzier
In late year , it ’s become hard to tell an indie plot from a AAA one . Too many hoi polloi take over that any title with stylized graphics instead of hyperrealistic ace , unique gameplay that departs from the typical open - humanity action RPG or bouncy - armed service hit man formulas , and a price of under $ 60 USD automatically qualifies as an indie game . However , that ’s far from the case . An indie game is made by a small team , sometimes even a single person , that ’s not owned , supported , or funded by a crowing studiolike Nexon .
It has absolutely nothing to do with a biz ’s art , shop mechanic , or monetary value , but because indie developer tend to be more willing to take creative risks and must figure out within smaller budget , indie games often have more unique organization and stylized nontextual matter . Mintrocket might be a small squad , andDave the Divermight have all the visual and mechanical assay-mark of an indie game , but it ’s owned and fund by Nexon , so it does n’t count .
That does n’t entail that indie games ca n’t have a budget , or that any game develop by a named studio apartment or issue by a recognizable one is n’t indie . Many indie game are crowdfunded through websites like Kickstarter , with prospective players straight contributing to a game ’s development store . However , they do tend to have smaller budgets than AAA games on the whole , plainly because they do n’t have access to large studio money . And many indie studio do have names and corporate - like structures , either for branding , revenue enhancement welfare , or ease ’s interest . Many indie games are also published by tumid studios , but they normally are n’t involved in the game ' development .
Why Dave The Diver’s Nomination Matters
It ’s more than just semantics : Dave the Diver ’s eligibility for Best Indie Game is n’t fair to the other nominees in its category , or to any other indie biz that came out this twelvemonth . With the documentation of a massive secret plan studio apartment behind it , it ’s not fair to expect the other game in its category -Cocoon , Dredge , Sea of Stars , andViewfinder- to match it in term of setting or finish . And sinceDave the Diverinevitably has a marketing budget , it has the potential to extend to a wider audience . The Game Awards ' winner are decided by actor votes , so with a significantly heavy base , it already has the advantage .
Dave the Diveralso push other eligible indie game out of the category ’s nominee pool , disqualifying them from the award . There have been many great indie games released in 2023 , likeBomb Rush Cyberfunk , the long - awaited spiritual heir to the tumbler - skating , graffito - tagging Dreamcast titleJet Set Radio . There ’s also therelaxing economical simMineko ’s Night Market , in which players must revitalize a pocket-sized island ’s saving while dodging supernatural phenomenon and funny police detective . World of Horror , a one - bit style roguelike in which histrion confront off against cosmic terrors to save the world from an impending apocalypse , also interpret a full release in 2023 after three years of other admission .
These are all true indie games , and they just scratch the open of the many uniquely brilliant indie title that come in out this twelvemonth . Whether they compare toDave the Diverin mechanically skillful innovation or cosmopolitan entreaty is n’t the emergence . They were all made by small squad with belittled budgets , and merit the attending bring by a Game Awards nominating speech . In fact , without the kind of marketing budget that ’s help catapultDave the Diverinto the public attention , they need it even more .
So what should be done ? There ’s nothing inherently amiss withDave the Diver- it ’s a perfectly expert game , but it should n’t qualify for an indie laurels . It ’d be too previous and too severe to rescind its nomination , but in next years , a more tight set of qualification for the Best Independent Game prize would make mother wit . It might be best to institute a Best AA Game category , to allow for acknowledgment of simpler , low-spirited - budget games that still have big studio apartment backing without detracting from the Best Indie class . Dave the Divermay have an unfair advantage at The Game Awards this year , but next yr can be different .
Screen Rant is a judge for The Game Awards .
beginning : The Game Awards / X(formerly Twitter )
