One of the highest rated games of 2023 has been reported on Xbox

Dave the DiverOne of the most highly rated games of 2023, has reportedly flopped XboxAccording to newly published third-party estimates. While the exact methodology behind the data has not been fully disclosed, the conclusion is supported by a piece of circumstantial evidence publicly available on the Xbox Store.

Developed by South Korean studio Mintrocket, Dave the Diver It is a genre hybrid blending management sim, action-adventure, RPG, and roguelite elements. It was first released for PC in June 2023 with its PlayStation ports being made in the spring of 2024. Dave the Diver Received excellent reviews at launch, as reflected in its “Mighty” rating on OpenCritic, with an average score of 90/100 and a 100% recommendation rate. Its user reviews were relatively favorable, making Dave the Diver One of the highest rated games of 2023 by almost every meaningful metric.

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The Xbox port of Dave the Diver has reportedly flopped

New version of Dave the Diver The shadow was lifted on the last two generations of Microsoft's console earlier this month, immediately following the November 20 Xbox Partner Preview event. However, the port seems to have failed to generate any sort of initial commercial momentum on the Xbox. According to TrueAchievements, which tracks a representative sample of approximately 3.1 million active Xbox accounts through Game Trends, Dave the Diver It debuted as only the 421st most played Xbox title during its release week spanning November 17th to 23rd.

Dave the Diver probably sold less than 10,000 copies on Xbox during its launch week

For comparison and some added context, Final Fantasy 16 Xbox also struggled after a late June 2025 launch on Microsoft's console. However, TrueAchievements reports that Square Enix's port debuted as the 119th most played game on the platform in its launch week. Separately, an Alinea Analytics official speculates that Final Fantasy 16 Around 22,000 copies were sold on the Xbox Store during the same period. Given that Dave the Diver Debuting with a popularity rating of less than 3.5 times, it is likely that the game failed to surpass 10,000 copies sold in its release week. That's despite starting at a 60% more affordable price of $20, which is on the lower end of the current pricing spectrum for new Xbox games.

Given this reported poor performance, it is unlikely that the Xbox launch contributed significantly Dave the Diverof lifetime sales, which was 5 million by November 2024, according to Mintrocket's latest official update. In contrast, both the Switch and PlayStation ports were previously associated with notable sales spikes. TrueAchievements are further supported by the complete absence of quests Dave the Diver User reviews on the Xbox Store as of November 29. While the ratio of sales to user reviews varies by genre and platform, many niche titles with the lowest sales also typically attract the least. something Player feedback on the Xbox Store.

Dave the Diver Lifetime Sales History

Why Dave the Diver might be performing poorly on Xbox

Several factors may have contributed Dave the Diver Underperforming on Xbox. Title-leaving shadows carry inherent risk and generally work best for well-established IPs, as their success has shown. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered earlier this year. While Dave the Diver's critical acclaim may have generated some interest despite zero marketing investment, coming a day before its more high-profile Xbox release. Silent Hill 2 A remake appeared on the platform. Additionally, it shared its Spotlight window CloverPit and Total chaosBoth of them were dropped not only on Xbox consoles but also on Xbox Game Pass on November 20th.

This unfavorable market timing and lack of marketing likely contributed Dave the DiverA slow start within the Microsoft gaming ecosystem. However, given the game's strong long-tail performance on other platforms, a modest launch won't prevent it from gaining commercial momentum on Xbox in the future.

issued

June 28, 2023

ESRB

E10+ for everyone 10+ fantasy violence, alcohol use, mild blood

developer(s)

minrocket

publisher(s)

minrocket