Submarine game sales spike on Steam during search for OceanGate vessel

The search is underway for five OceanGate occupants who are lost at sea. On Sunday, the vessel disappeared about one hour and 45 minutes after it began its journey towards Titanic. It’s a terrifying situation to imagine yourself in, and while Canadian, American, and French officials are conducting a massive search operation, the situation looks grim. As people learn more about the Titan submersible and the situation its occupants may be in, their interest is being re-directed to a surprising source — Iron LungA game that is a mix of an alien moon, and bloody oceans.

OceanGate Expeditions conducts trips on the Titan submersible, a small boat. A “seat” on the submersible is priced at $250,000 a person. As the footage shows, the seats are not there; instead, the passengers lounge around on the floor, in an incredibly cramped and windowless environment. OceanGate says the Titan is capable of traveling up to 13,000 feet under water, while the Titanic can only reach 12,500 feet. There are thousands of tons of pressure from the water at such a depth. This is what makes this news footage so frightening.

Social media has been flooded with reactions from people as authorities continue their search for Titan and its passengers. From serious analyses to lighter-hearted jokes, the conversation is a mix of both. The indie game is a good comparison. Iron LungDavid Szymanski has created an entertaining short story about a submarine that is equipped with the most basic technology, which must navigate through a bloody ocean on an alien lunar surface. And, grimly, interest in the game seems to have taken off this week — echoing, for example, the popularity of pandemic films like ContagionDuring the first year following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Syzmanski shared that the game was seeing a spike in sales and popularity on his personal Twitter, posting a chart with the caption “This feels so wrong.” The game is also being bombarded with positive reviews, one of which reads: “Retroactively based on a true story.”

For all those interested Iron LungMarkiplier has decided to star and direct a movie version of the video game that is less terrifying. Despite these tragic real-life events, some gamers choose to tackle their thalassophobia by creating their own sub.