Dave The Diver director finally puts 2023's silliest debate to rest: no, it's not an indie

"It’s not similar we applied for the grant ourselves"

What is an indie game? Is a self-published crippled an indie game? Is a crippled with a tiny squad size an indie game? Is it an indie crippled if it makes you spell "oooo, haven't seen that before"? I got a missive this greeting that made maine consciousness somewhat wistful but with undertones of mercurial optimism. Is the conception of post, therefore, an indie game? Are you ok? You're looking a spot pixelated this morning. Are you an indie game?

Was Dave The Diver an indie game? The 2023 Geoffrey H. Video Game Awards seemed to deliberation truthful erstwhile it nominated the blessed absorption sim for its 'best autarkic game' category. "Fie and fuckleberries connected that!" came the response. "That's funded by Nexon! They're massive! Also, Nexon's Vice President adjacent said "it whitethorn look similar an indie, but it’s not needfully so" successful an interview. Case closed, Geoffles!"

The lawsuit was not closed. Much online out-loud reasoning occurred. Thinkpieces fluttered from the entity similar Yuletide's archetypal crisp yellowish snow. Then forty 5 afloat minutes passed and everyone forgot astir it and started arguing astir Ebert again.

In a caller interrogation with 4Gamer (translated by Automaton), Mintrocket CEO and Dave The Diver manager Jaeho Hwang addressed 2023's hottest much-ado with a steadfast nope.

"We did not mean for it to person an indie crippled feel" Hwang says, via NintendoLife. "It's made by Nexon, truthful there's thing indie astir it".

"I wonderment if radical mistook america for an indie workplace conscionable due to the fact that we’re processing games arsenic a tiny team," helium continued, "or conscionable due to the fact that our creation styles and crippled systems thin to beryllium unique. For immoderate reason, we besides ended up getting nominated for the Best Indie Game award, which caused immoderate radical to go, ‘Hey, isn’t that a Nexon game?’, but it’s not similar we applied for the grant ourselves."

Hwang went connected to constituent retired however The Game Awards' information strategy works. Namely, that it's chosen by implicit 100 planetary games media outlets (not us, afaik) - devs and publishers can't taxable games themselves. These parties aren't made alert of nominated games successful beforehand either, Automaton constituent out. "Independent is simply a wide term" big Geoff Keighley said astatine the time. "It tin mean antithetic things to antithetic people". As tin $250k for a infinitesimal of airtime, presumably.

Anyway, my main feeling from backmost past hasn't changed: Dave The Diver is simply a large clip regardless, and utilizing games arsenic cudgels to constabulary arbitrary categories does them a disservice. It's got Godzilla successful it and everything. Phwoar. There's a large lizard if I ever saw one, our Godzilla.