Before Mina the Hollower, Yacht Club paused a 3D Shovel Knight game that's 'not far from being showable' and a possible next project

Yacht Club Games Pauses 3D Shovel Knight Project in Favor of Mina the Hollower

Yacht Club Games co-founder Sean Velasco recently shared insights with Bloomberg about the studio's latest title, Mina the Hollower, and its $20 price tag, which he described as a "make or break" moment for the indie developer. During the interview, Velasco also revealed that the studio had previously worked on a 3D version of Shovel Knight, a project that is now on hold. This 3D game was in the early stages of development, with Velasco stating it was "not far from being showable" before the team shifted focus to Mina the Hollower.

The Future of Yacht Club Games

Currently, the focus remains on Mina the Hollower, including ongoing support and marketing efforts for the top-down action game. However, the future of Yacht Club Games could still include a return to the Shovel Knight franchise. The 3D Shovel Knight project was initially developed alongside Mina the Hollower but was paused when the studio decided to consolidate its resources into the 2D adventure game.

Velasco noted that Mina the Hollower faced its own set of development challenges. He mentioned that the project lacked some of the studio’s more experienced developers at first, which required certain parts of the game to be completely rebuilt. In contrast, the 3D Shovel Knight project was further along in development and closer to being playable.

The decision to keep the team together rather than split into multiple groups, a strategy that has worked for other studios like Obsidian, was a key factor in Yacht Club’s approach. Velasco emphasized that the studio plans to remain unified, regardless of future projects. This means focusing on one game at a time, but he remains optimistic about the future pace of releases.

“At the end of Mina we were cooking, and it was great,” Velasco said. “If we could just be doing that in perpetuity, that’s all we would need. Then the games wouldn’t take so long.”

Fans of Mina the Hollower have already praised the game. It was successfully funded on Kickstarter before the writer was even full-time at PC Gamer, and it has since become a favorite on the Steam Deck. PC Gamer contributor Kerry Brunskill also gave the game a 90% score in their review, further solidifying its place as a standout title in the indie scene.