Dave the Diver Creator reveals ambitious plans for IP's future

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Important takeaways

  • Dave the Diver creator Jaeho Hwang reveals plans to expand the IP with new games focused on individual characters' backstories.
  • The success of Dave the Diver has led to collaborations with Dredge and Godzilla, with more crossovers in the works.
  • Hwang aims to reveal character backgrounds, explore different genres, and expand IPs beyond DLCs.



Dave the diver creator and Mintrocket CEO Jaeho Hwang has discussed the studio's plans for the future of its hit IP, saying he wants to “expand” with new games focusing on different characters. Dave the diver burst onto the scene in 2023 when it released for PC in June, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in October and a PlayStation version in April 2024, and has since launched several DLC expansions with even more content to come.

It's no surprise to fans that the single-player adventure RPG was so successful, but Hwang has previously said he didn't expect Dave the diver to go viral when it launched last year. Now, just over a year since the game was released, Dave the diver has continued to collaborate with Godzilla and other fishing adventure games Dredgewith three more crossovers in the works. The first one will be included balatro, the hugely successful indie title that took the gaming world by storm earlier this year with its roguelike deck-building mechanics. Followed by collaborations with Potions Craft and YouTuber Mxmtoon.


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Dave the Diver Creator wants to expand the IP

While Mintrocket is already hard at work on new ones Dave the diver collaborations, the game's creator, Jaeho Hwang, doesn't just want to expand IPs with DLC, he says he's interested in spin-off titles that span multiple genres. In a recent interview with VGC, Hwang said he wants to “expand [the] Dave the diver IP itself,” it explains Dave the diver “didn't go really deep into the personal stories” because the studio wanted to keep the game very casual. He goes on to explain that in addition to the upcoming DLC, he wants to “make separate games about each character to show how they met, what they did before they got to the Blue Hole.”


Its surprising mix of genres is one of many reasons Dave the diver received rave reviews from critics, but Hwang has now said he wants to expand the IP into even more genres. While Dave the diver is already an adventure, RPG, management hybrid, Hwang tells VGC that his proposed spin-off titles could actually differ quite drastically in terms of genre. “Maybe one day, if we start doing a Dave's backstory game, we can do Dave [another profession]. He's always been a diver, so we really haven't thought about how we're going to move with Dave,” Hwang explained.

Dave the diver is filled with exotic recipes, vibrant fish and hard-working employees, but it's the game's characters that really make the title such a unique experience, which explains why Hwang is keen to reveal more of the characters' backstories. Dave the diverThe creator explains that he would love to show how Dave grew up and how he became a diver before arriving at the Blue Hole. He also notes that Cobra, one of the game's characters, is from a previous project known as Evil factory. “He was a gun dealer who got his license suspended, and after that he retired and was enjoying his life, and something happened, and he decided to come into the Blue Hole. So I really want to tell this kind of story in other games,” Hwang said.


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