From Game Changer to Indratus: Gabe Newell’s 72-Metre Support Yacht Enters Its Next Chapter
What was once known as Game Changer has emerged from Oceanco with a new name, a new appearance and a new role within Gabe Newell’s growing Inkfish research fleet.
The 72-metre Damen Yachting support vessel has completed an extensive refit at Oceanco’s Zwijndrecht facility, where the shipyard’s Life Cycle Support team combined the work with the yacht’s 10-year class survey. The vessel is now known as Indratus and is scheduled for redelivery later in 2026.
The project is another example of how a support yacht can evolve long after its original delivery. Rather than simply refreshing an existing yacht, Indratus is being positioned as part of a much larger operational system built around exploration, science and ocean research.
A yacht designed to work
Originally delivered by Damen Yachting in 2017, the vessel was conceived as a highly capable yacht-support platform rather than a conventional luxury yacht. Its large working deck, crane, aviation facilities and expedition equipment gave it the ability to operate well beyond the traditional superyacht role.
The vessel has a gross tonnage of approximately 1,385 GT and has historically been equipped with four MTU engines capable of producing a top speed of around 20 knots. Its working configuration has included a substantial deck crane, helicopter facilities and specialist equipment for diving and subsea operations.
Its previous life under the Game Changer name was already closely associated with ocean exploration. Damen Yachting says the vessel was used for marine conservation, ocean research, documenting biodiversity and luxury dive expeditions.
That makes the latest transformation less about turning a yacht into an expedition vessel and more about adapting an already capable platform for a new mission.
The Oceanco refit
Oceanco has not released a detailed item-by-item breakdown of the work carried out aboard Indratus. What is confirmed is that the project combined the vessel’s 10-year survey with a wider programme of upgrades and modifications.
The most obvious change is the exterior.
The yacht has emerged in a much lighter colour scheme, with grey and off-white surfaces complemented by a distinctive turquoise accent. The new appearance brings Indratus visually closer to the wider Inkfish fleet, which includes the 111-metre Leviathan and 93-metre Draak.
The working character of the yacht remains evident. Recent images show the large aft working area, crane and helipad, reinforcing that this is not simply a cosmetic transformation.
Instead, the refit appears to preserve the fundamental reason for which the vessel was built: to carry the equipment, people and machinery needed to support operations at sea.
Becoming part of Inkfish
The most significant change may therefore be operational rather than visual.
Indratus joins Newell’s Inkfish fleet, an organisation focused on supporting scientific research and exploration. The fleet already includes Leviathan and Draak, with the three vessels designed to provide different capabilities.
Leviathan serves as the primary living and research platform, while Draak has been rebuilt to provide additional diving, tender and heavy-lifting capability. Oceanco says Draak was delivered in June 2026 following its comprehensive rebuild.
Indratus adds another specialised platform to that system.
Its established aviation and expedition capabilities are particularly relevant. The vessel has historically featured an LY3-certified helideck and helicopter hangar, while its equipment has included subsea technology, diving facilities and remotely operated vehicles. Oceanco has not confirmed which of those systems remain aboard following the latest refit, so it would be premature to describe every historic capability as part of the new configuration.
A second life for a proven platform
This is not the first major transformation for the vessel.
Game Changer underwent a substantial refit in 2020 after accumulating almost 50,000 nautical miles. That project extended the stern by approximately three metres and introduced changes including a larger swim platform, heated beach club, larger windows, revised crane arrangements, new stabiliser fins and an optimised dynamic-positioning system.
The latest Oceanco project therefore represents another stage in a continuing evolution.
That is arguably what makes Indratus interesting. Support vessels are increasingly becoming some of the most adaptable assets in the superyacht world. Their value is not necessarily tied to luxurious accommodation or elaborate interiors, but to what they allow an owner and crew to accomplish beyond the main yacht.
The bigger Inkfish picture
Newell’s investment in this fleet reflects a broader shift in how he is approaching yachting.
His vessels are increasingly being assembled around scientific and technological capability rather than simply leisure. Inkfish’s stated objective is to work with scientists and provide access to technology, vessels and resources that can help researchers reach difficult environments and conduct research at sea.
That philosophy is also being carried into the next generation of the fleet.
Construction began in 2026 on Inkfish’s new 100-metre research vessel RV6000, adding another major platform to Newell’s expanding ocean-research operation.
Against that backdrop, Indratus makes sense.
She is not replacing Leviathan. She is not simply another large yacht. She is another specialised tool within a fleet where each vessel can perform a different job.
And that may ultimately be the most important part of this refit.
Game Changer was built to support exploration. Indratus is being given another opportunity to do exactly that—only now as part of a much larger scientific mission.
Sources
The latest details are based primarily on BOAT International’s report on the Oceanco refit, supported by information from Oceanco, Damen Yachting and YachtBuyer.
[Read the BOAT International report](https://www.boatinternational.com/yachts/news/damen-yachting-yacht-support-refit-oceanco-game-changer-gabe-newell?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
[Damen Yachting — Game Changer](https://www.yachtsupport.com/fleet/game-changer?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
[Damen Yachting — Refit & Services](https://www.damenyachting.com/portfolios/refit?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
