Iron Lung sales increase in wake of missing Titan sub, dev feels ‘uncomfortable’

Said to be ‘horrified’ by recent events

The news about the missing submersible, Titan, which disappeared during a visit to the wreck of the Titanic is on many people’s minds and all over the media. Now, the story has reached the gaming world, as the indie horror title Iron Lung has seen its sales increase in the wake of the real-world incident.

According to developer David Szymanski over on Twitter (via PC Gamer) there’s been a spike in the amount of units that have sold for the creepy, underwater game. Szymanski shows a graph that depicts a significant uptick in sales, right around the time the missing sub became huge news in global media. This would suggest that the story of the missing occupants onboard the submersible has inspired some to buy Iron Lung.

This feels so wrong pic.twitter.com/SMAKC6sOfH

— David Szymanski (@DUSKdev) June 21, 2023

For those who don’t know, Iron Lung is a small horror game that tasks you with investigating mysterious goings-on underwater. You’re placed inside a cramped, iron vessel that takes you to the depths of an alien ocean, with nothing but ominous sounds and grainy pictures to keep you company. It was actually one of our Top 10 pics of 2022.

However, the fact that people are now buying the game in the wake of the missing Titan could be seen as poor taste by some. In fact, the developer has said, in response to someone on Twitter, that they “feel kinda uncomfortable” about the rise in Iron Lung‘s popularity. One person made a comment about not being sure whether they’d be “honored or horrified” by what’s been happening, though Szymanski says they are “pretty horrified.”

At the time of writing, the Titan sub, which went missing on June 18, has still not been located. Additional search and rescue teams are still looking for the vessel as well as its five occupants.