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Press release:
Pontevedra, Spain (November 9, 2022).
The Pontevedra-based (Spain) indie games developer sqr3lab are today super thrilled and happy to announce that their beautiful ocean exploration sim “subROV: Underwater Discoveries” is soon coming to PC via Steam Early Access.

Brought to life by a one-man development operation, subROV: Underwater Discoveries recreates the experience of deep-sea exploration without some of the complexities of a true-to-life simulation. Soon, players will take control of their submarine Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV), and embark on dives based on locations all around the world!

In subROV: Underwater Discoveries, players chart unknown regions, sample hydrothermal vents, find shipwrecks, study aquatic species ranging from fish to coral, and more! Experienced through the mysterious depths of the ocean, the game blends realism with intuitive controls to create a truly one-of-a-kind approachable sub-simulation. An ocean full of wonder awaits!

subROV: Underwater Discoveries is developed by former Frontier Software developer and sound designer José Luis González Castro, with support from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and the Schmidt Ocean Institute, and with partial funding from a National Science Foundation BIO-OCE grant.

The game is inspired by José’s search for a novel setting to tinker with sound design and his fascination with ocean exploration. José quickly realized there was a Marianas Trench-sized gap in the simulation genre, and set out to create a game that could capture the wonder he felt, and show people what lies beneath the surface of our oceans.

“Deep-sea expeditions, like those from Schmidt Ocean, are an invaluable resource to communicate scientific progress, as they allow people to see discoveries being made in real-time. They are an indirect experience, though,” said José Luis González Castro, Founder of sqr3lab.

“With subROV: Underwater Discoveries, I wanted to give people agency to recreate these dives themselves, and hopefully get them excited about ocean exploration.”

Key features of subROV: Underwater Discoveries include:

Sim-ply Submarining: Take control of an oceanographic vessel, complete with a full-ocean-depth rated ROV, and an array of advanced tools including sonar, AI-assisted scanner, articulated arm, temperature sensors, landers, sediment corers, and other scientific equipment.

Choose Your Own Ocean Adventure: Every dive tells a story. Each dive has loose objectives, but you’re always able to explore freely to your heart’s content

Ocean Master(y): The ocean is full of mysteries waiting to be discovered! Rendezvous with ocean buoys and download scientific data and information on new points of interest. Build up your findings gallery, gain experience from completing objectives, and climb your way up the ranks from trainee to Dive Master!

Creatures of the Deep: From black corals to glass sponges, chimaeras to sperm whales, there are dozens of aquatic life forms to encounter and study! Each one is accurately modeled — with many being brought to a videogame for the first time ever — to make the diving experience as true to life as possible.

To further prepare for your dive, be sure to follow subROV on Twitter, YouTube, join the official Discord, and visit the official website.

About sqr3lab
sqr3lab is the work of sole developer José Luis González Castro, a composer and sound designer with over 20 years of experience in the gaming industry, including recently at Frontier Developments. González’s credits include Elite Dangerous, Disneyland Adventures, Kinectimals, and Bionic Commando. subROV: Underwater Discoveries started as a project for José to hone his skills with the audio middleware Wwise, and over time it evolved into a full-fledged title.

About Schmidt Ocean Institute
Wendy and Eric Schmidt founded Schmidt Ocean Institute in 2009 to advance oceanographic research by offering scientists access to the world’s first year-round philanthropic research vessel in exchange for making their findings publicly available. After operating the ship Falkor for a decade, hosting more than 1,000 scientists, discovering scores of new marine species and underwater formations and mapping more than half a million square miles of the seafloor, Wendy and Eric acquired a larger research vessel, Falkor (too), in late 2021. The new ship is currently being refitted and is expected to be ready for science expeditions in 2023.

About Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) is an independent U.S. non-profit scientific research and educational organization based in Bermuda and a Bermuda Registered Charity #116. For over 100 years BIOS-based researchers and visiting scientists have worked to explore the ocean and address important local and global environmental issues. Ocean and atmospheric science research programs at BIOS provide a wealth of information that is used by government representatives, environmental resource managers and community leaders to inform their decision-making processes. R/V Atlantic Explorer is a U.S. flagged ocean class vessel in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, operated by BIOS as a UNOLS designated operator, that provides scientists with a platform for conducting short-and long-term studies
of the open ocean, providing data to inform our understanding of global climate change, nutrient cycling and ocean-atmospheric dynamics. For more information visit www.bios.edu.

About National Science Foundation
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In Fiscal Year 2022, its budget is $8.8 billion. NSF funds research in all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 50,000 competitive proposals for funding and makes about 12,000 new funding awards.