{"rewrite":{"id":"r_27aa04acb7164ec1708637ff","clusterId":"c_a3972bace77e4c4bcdff1237","slug":"dave-the-diver-hits-9-million-sales-ceo-details-character-design","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Dave the Diver Hits 9 Million Sales, CEO Details Character Design","summary":"At CGDC 2026, MINTROCKET CEO Jaeho Hwang reviewed the three years since Dave the Diver's release, revealing cumulative sales of 9 million units across mobile, console, and PC. He explained the design philosophy behind protagonist Dave, addressed a common misconception about the game being based on a true story, and detailed how supporting characters were built to complement Dave's personality.","whyItMatters":"The talk shows how MINTROCKET deliberately shaped Dave as a plain, relatable hero surrounded by strong personalities, a design choice the CEO credits with keeping the character memorable long after the game's initial attention faded.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eDave the Diver has sold over 9 million units across mobile, console, and PC, MINTROCKET CEO Jaeho Hwang said during a CGDC 2026 talk in Shanghai. The game holds a 90 score on both Metacritic and OpenCritic, and its large DLC In the Jungle scored 86 and 91 respectively, with 47 percent of total sales coming from China.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHwang traced the game\u0026#39;s origins to a mobile project developed with National Geographic, which was shelved when the studio closed. About a year later, the team restarted development for PC, returning to the original idea of searching for fish and settling on the current 2D and 3D hybrid visuals.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe also addressed a misconception that the game is based on a true story. The game borrows only the appearance of diver David Shaw and the setting of a deep pit cave; the tragic narrative itself was left out.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"MINTROCKET's 9 million sales for Dave the Diver rest on a character built to be forgettable by design. CEO Jaeho Hwang's talk at CGDC 2026 centered on keeping Dave memorable, a problem most hits never face.","twitterPost":"Jaeho Hwang's CGDC 2026 talk on Dave the Diver's 9 million sales focused on making Dave memorable, a challenge most hits never face.","threadsPost":"At CGDC 2026, MINTROCKET's Jaeho Hwang revealed Dave the Diver has sold 9 million units. His talk wasn't about the number. It was about the design philosophy behind Dave, including why the character was built to be plain and how supporting cast are shaped around him.","newsletterBlurb":"MINTROCKET's CEO revealed at CGDC 2026 that Dave the Diver has sold 9 million units. He explained the deliberate design of Dave as a plain everyman, and clarified that the game only borrows a diver's appearance, not his tragic story.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/635/G063598/20260803023/\",\"title\":\"「Dave the Diver」の3年間。デイヴを記憶から消さないためにMINTROCKETが行ってきたこと［CJ2026］\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":6245,"outputTokens":656,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786033447,"createdAt":"2026-08-06T16:15:02.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-06T16:18:43.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-06T16:15:02.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_a3972bace77e4c4bcdff1237","canonicalTitle":"「Dave the Diver」の3年間。デイヴを記憶から消さないためにMINTROCKETが行ってきたこと［CJ2026］","representativeArticleId":"a_6fc4c066eba9dca936c37874","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Dave the Diver\"],\"studios\":[\"MINTROCKET\"],\"people\":[\"ファン・ジェホ\"],\"type\":\"event\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-03T08:08:48.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-03T08:08:48.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-06T16:18:44.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/635/G063598/20260803023/","title":"「Dave the Diver」の3年間。デイヴを記憶から消さないためにMINTROCKETが行ってきたこと［CJ2026］"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Dave the Diver"],"studios":["MINTROCKET"],"people":["ファン・ジェホ"],"type":"event","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}