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Press release:
Montpellier, France – February 17th, 2026. French independent studio Drop Rate Studio, in collaboration with French publisher Dear Villagers, unveils Dive or Die: Children of Rain , a 2D Lovecraftian underwater roguelite, set to release in Q2 2026 on PC.

Years of the eerie “Black Rain” drowned the entire world, and few survivors remain. A race against time has started, as the Rainmaker, an Eldritch Divinity, has given humanity one final choice: recover its sacred idols hidden deep within the “Abyssal Pool” in under 40 days, or face extinction in the final Flood.

Players will lead a desperate camp of survivors clinging to the last remnants of land. To succeed, they will balance brutal realities: managing their fragile camp on the surface and making deadly descents into the Abyssal Pool below. Every dive is a gamble against dwindling oxygen, physical injury, and creeping madness as otherworldly horrors lurk in the darkness.

“The underwater depths terrify us. So does cosmic horror. We figured the only reasonable thing to do was make a game about both.” – Théo Maudet, Studio Founder.

On the surface, players will rebuild infrastructure, assign survivors to vital roles, and upgrade diving gear. Each decision is a trade-off between immediate survival and long-term preparation. Below, prudence and efficiency are required to navigate among the ever-somber depths and its dwellers, while hoping to return to the surface with much-needed resources and live to dive another day.

A demo is available right now on Steam for all players to take their first dive into Dive or Die: Children of Rain. Other Dear Villagers titles like EverSiege: Untold Ages from Tindalos Interactive, 1348 Ex Voto from Sedleo and CALX from True Colors will also participate in the Steam Next Fest.

For more information on Dive or Die: Children of Rain, visit the official website and follow Dear Villagers on Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

About Drop Rate Studio
Drop Rate Studio is a French indie game development studio founded by two former industry producers. After a first successful release with Wantless, Drop Rate Studio is now working on Dive or Die: Children of Rain, another project true to their mantra: challenging games that reward players for their involvement.

About Dear Villagers
Based in the South of France, in sunny Montpellier, Dear Villagers is a boutique publishing label composed of a team of twenty people. Open-minded and versatile, Dear Villagers offers handcrafted marketing and production guidance. Their mission: to tell memorable stories through memorable games.