Nexon subsidiary Mintrocket's 'Dave the Diver' is crossing over with 'Subnautica 2' from Krafton subsidiary Unknown Worlds. Marine gaming IPs developed by two major Korean game companies through their subsidiary studios will come together in a single content pack. This DLC is reported to be the final DLC for Dave the Diver.
Mintrocket revealed the free DLC 'DAVE THE DIVER - Subnautica 2' during the indie game showcase 'The Triple-i Initiative' held in the early hours of October 9 (KST). The DLC is scheduled for release in the first half of 2027, and Mintrocket began accepting wishlist registrations alongside the reveal.
In the DLC, Dave and Bancho shift their stage to the ocean of Subnautica 2. According to Mintrocket, the strange creatures inhabiting 'Proteus' will be an astounding discovery for diver Dave and brand-new cooking ingredients for chef Bancho. The content also features elements where players explore the deep sea and build friendships with characters they meet there. It is expected to transfer the original game's structure—gathering ingredients from the ocean by day and running a sushi restaurant at night—into Subnautica 2's ecosystem.
As a result, Dave the Diver's DLC run, which has spanned over three years, is expected to draw to a close with the Subnautica 2 collaboration. Mintrocket previously unveiled the spin-off 'Bancho the Chef', starring Bancho as the main character, at Sony's 'State of Play' last June.
The Triple-i Initiative is a showcase launched in 2024, led by French developer Evil Empire, which handled updates for 'Dead Cells' and the development of 'Castlevania: Belmont's Curse'. Co-hosted by multiple developers, it features roughly 45 minutes of back-to-back trailers with no hosts or advertisements. This broadcast marks the fourth since its inception and the second this year. Following the broadcast, a week-long period of discounts, demos, and playtests for participating titles will take place.
Dave the Diver has expanded its content depth through collaborations with external IPs. In 2024, it introduced free DLC collaborations with 'Dredge' and 'Godzilla', and also teamed up with 'Like a Dragon' and 'Balatro'. The final collaboration partner differs from previous cases in that it is another major IP set in the ocean. The Subnautica series is a marine survival franchise whose previous titles reached cumulative sales of 18.5 million copies. Its sequel, Subnautica 2, launched in Early Access on May 15 (KST) and surpassed 4 million cumulative copies sold in just five days.
This collaboration is a rare sight in the Korean gaming industry. Nexon and Krafton are competitors. Yet subsidiaries of both companies have blended IPs that achieved success in the overseas buy-to-play market into a single content release. Affiliated studios of major competing Korean companies releasing DLC-level crossover content is read as a sign that domestic game developers have begun viewing one another as both rivals and potential partners in the PC and console market.
Since its official launch in June 2023, Dave the Diver has continued to expand across platforms and release additional content. Mintrocket released a story expansion DLC featuring approximately 10 hours of content, 'In the Jungle', last June, and announced on September 9 that cumulative sales had surpassed 10 million copies—a first for a single-player Korean premium game.
