Dave The Diver director finally puts 2023’s silliest debate to rest: no, it’s not an indie
What is an indie game? Is a self-published game an indie game? Is a game with a small team size an indie game? Is it an indie game if it makes you go “oooo, haven’t seen that before”? I got a letter this morning that made me feel slightly wistful but with undertones of mercurial optimism. Is the concept of post, therefore, an indie game? Are you ok? You’re looking a bit pixelated this morning. Are you an indie game?
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Was Dave The Diver an indie game? The 2023 Geoffrey H. Video Game Awards seemed to think so when it nominated the happy management sim for its ‘best independent game’ category. “Fie and fuckleberries on that!” came the response. “That’s funded by Nexon! They’re massive! Also, Nexon’s Vice President even said “it may look like an indie, but it’s not necessarily so” in an interview. Case closed, Geoffles!”
The case was not closed. Much online out-loud thinking occurred. Thinkpieces fluttered from the sky like Yuletide’s first crisp yellow snow. Then forty five full minutes passed and everyone forgot about it and started arguing about Ebert again.
In a recent interview with 4Gamer (translated by Automaton), Mintrocket CEO and Dave The Diver director Jaeho Hwang addressed 2023’s hottest much-ado with a firm nope.
“We did not intend for it to have an indie game feel” Hwang says, via NintendoLife. “It’s made by Nexon, so there’s nothing indie about it”.
“I wonder if people mistook us for an indie studio just because we’re developing games as a small team,” he continued, “or just because our art styles and game systems tend to be unique. For some reason, we also ended up getting nominated for the Best Indie Game award, which caused some people to go, ‘Hey, isn’t that a Nexon game?’, but it’s not like we applied for the award ourselves.”
Hwang went on to point out how The Game Awards’ nomination system works. Namely, that it’s chosen by over 100 international games media outlets (not us, afaik) – devs and publishers can’t submit games themselves. These parties aren’t made aware of nominated games in advance either, Automaton point out. “Independent is a broad term” host Geoff Keighley said at the time. “It can mean different things to different people”. As can $250k for a minute of airtime, presumably.
Anyway, my main feeling from back then hasn’t changed: Dave The Diver is a great time regardless, and using games as cudgels to police arbitrary categories does them a disservice. It’s got Godzilla in it and everything. Phwoar. There’s a big lizard if I ever saw one, our Godzilla.
