“We do hope to eventually bring Shovel Knight as a brand to mobile,” says Chan. This is something that Chan confirmed we will see in the future. Of course, the most obvious absentee from this list is clearly mobile, with many believing it is a question of when rather than if for the indie darling. More recently, a board game version called Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels was unveiled, with the project’s Kickstarter reaching $70,000 in its first week of being live. This success has seen Shovel Knight itself go on to appear across the majority of major platforms, including Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Wii U, PlayStation Vita and more. We do hope to eventually bring Shovel Knight as a brand to mobile James Chan “We are going to focus on what we do best, which is putting gameplay first and focusing on the quality while making sure we are creating a classic game with compelling story,” says Chan.įor those looking to follow in the footsteps of what an independent developer can achieve, Chan believes there is plenty of good advice around but does denote that it’s “very difficult” to provide useful advice with every firm different from the last.Īfter some deep thought, the COO’s main words of wisdom were connected to “keeping a studio’s team together”, alongside “utilising all of their best strengths” and therefore setting yourself up for the best measure for success. For the meantime however, Yacht Club intends to concentrate on what they do best. Shovel Knight raised more than four times its original Kickstarter goalĬhan calls this the “the sophomore slump” when it’s the second year of university and students tend to slack off. Replicating that initial success is something that many big studios have had to deal with when moving on to a brand-new IP, and is equally something that many are “afraid of”. Now as development begins to wrap on half a decade of Shovel Knight, Yacht Club faces the dilemma of following up their beloved mascot. To this day we are still trying to fulfil every one of those Kickstarter goals and we’re trying to do that to the best of our ability, which is why it’s taking so long.” We strive our best to put out a product that was the highest quality that we can do. “The Zeitgeist at the time was really good. “We launched on Kickstarter at a very opportune time,” says Chan. With a minimum goal of $75,000, the title went on to obliterate all targets in less than a month to total $311,502. A huge accomplishment for any developer, but it’s even more impressive when you consider how the game actually came into existence.Īnnounced on March 17th, 2013, Shovel Knight began as a Kickstarter campaign and was one of the first major releases to succeed from the crowdfunding platform. The most recent figures released by Yacht Club confirmed that Shovel Knight had surpassed 2.5 million in sales. "This is our first Gamescom, so we’re trying to make sure that everything that we’re publishing is up to speed and meets our quality.” To this day we are still trying to fulfil every one of those Kickstarter goals and we’re trying to do that to the best of our ability James Chan “We announced Cyber Shadow earlier this year at PAX East and the team is trying their best to finish up Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight: Showdown. Not stopping at this, the studio plans to round out the collection with another story adventure, as well as a multiplayer fighting game called Shovel Knight Showdown.ĭuring a lively Gamescom, caught up with Yacht Club Games COO James Chan to discuss the future of the indie studio, how 2019 has treated the firm so far and the likelihood of Shovel Knight transitioning to mobile.
Since launching in June 2014, Shovel Knight's ‘The Blue Bomber’ has become a very recognisable face in the games industry.Īn examplar of what can be achieved by indie developers, it’s surprisingly to think the original title launched five years ago.įor developer Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove has been the cornerstone of the studio as it grew upon the critically successful 2D side-scrolling platformer, adding a further two campaigns over time.
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