Titanic sub saga leads to Iron Lung sales spike as dev laments “nightmarish” situation

Carver Fisher
Titanic sub saga iron lung game sales spike

David Szymanski, the developer of indie horror game Iron Lung, reflected on the idea that those lost during the Titanic sub expedition are stuck in the “most nightmarish thing” he could dream up as sales for the game spike immensely.

David Szymanski has cemented himself as one of the biggest names in indie game development. While DUSK is by far his biggest and most ambitious project, he’s also known for creating small, short horror experiences like The Music Machine, A Wolf in Autumn, and various contributions to the Dread X Collection games.

However, one indie horror title he developed took the indie scene by storm when it was first released: Iron Lung. Since its release in March 2022, Iron Lung has gained enough traction to have its name attached to a film production spearheaded by Markiplier.

Iron Lung clearly had an impact on those who played it as a horror game that stood out from the crowd. However, now that those lost at sea during an expedition to see the Titanic are stuck in a similar situation, the developer commented on coming to grips with real people being stuck in the “most nightmarish thing” he could think up.

Iron Lung dev feels “wrong” profiting off of Titanic sub saga

As people started to draw similarities between the Titanic sub saga and Iron Lung, the popular indie horror title trended across social media.

Szymanski took notice of it himself and joked about it as mentions of his game began to explode on Twitter.

More and more people were referencing his game as time went on, going as far as using it to joke about the situation that has left several people lost at sea.

And, while Szymanski admitted that he laughed at many of the jokes made in relation to the horror title of his creation, he also feels like it’s “wrong” to have made money off of a tragedy. Sales of Iron Lung have spiked exponentially in the days following the disappearance of the Titanic expedition.

“I made Iron Lung the most nightmarish thing I could think of, and knowing real people are in that situation right now is pretty horrific, even if it was their own bad decisions,” the developer commented. “All the jokes I’ve been seeing are hilarious, but also good lord, nobody should have to die like that.”

At the time of writing, those lost at sea are still missing and their whereabouts are unknown.

For more information about Markiplier’s upcoming Iron Lung flick, check out our hub right here at Dexerto.

About The Author

Carver is an editor for Dexerto based in Chicago. He finished his screenwriting degree in 2021 and has since dedicated his time to covering League of Legends esports and all other things gaming. He leads League esports coverage for Dexerto, but has a passion for the FGC and other esports. Contact Carver at carver.fisher@dexerto.com