The creators of Shovel Knight now face a crossroads: their next project, Mina the Hollower, must hit big because the studio no longer has the luxury of missing the mark.

When people reflect on indie legends, Shovel Knight is always near the top of the list. Its pixel-art charm, spin-offs, and countless collaborations helped the game surpass three million sales. But that was eleven years ago, and Yacht Club Games has struggled to achieve even a fraction of that lightning-in-a-bottle success ever since. Now, the biggest test in the studio’s history is here.

The team’s next release, Mina the Hollower, was originally slated for last October before being delayed in the final stretch. There is still no new launch date, but rather than signaling trouble, all signs point to a studio meticulously polishing every detail in hopes of scoring a critical and commercial comeback. The reason is blunt: they cannot afford a failure.

Speaking to Bloomberg, studio founder Cris Velasco was transparent about the stakes: “If we sold 500,000 copies, that would be amazing. If we sold 200,000, that would be very, very good. If we sold close to 100,000, not so much.” Mina the Hollower was one of two major projects at Yacht Club Games, the other being a full 3D sequel to Shovel Knight. But development setbacks forced them to abandon that sequel entirely and put everything into Mina.

According to Velasco, missing those figures would force the studio to give up its independence and rely on outside investment. Mina the Hollower released a public demo earlier this year, but just days before its planned October 31 launch, the full game was postponed indefinitely on October 6.

The project was funded through a 2022 Kickstarter campaign that gathered just over one million euros, proof that fans were eager for a Game Boy-inspired action-adventure from the studio that created Shovel Knight.

Source: 3djuegos