The same release-date effect seen around Grand Theft Auto VI, Hollow Knight: Silksong and Subnautica 2 is happening again, with studios moving their own games to avoid being caught in the wrong slot. This time, however, the trigger is not a giant AAA release, but Mina the Hollower, the new game from the creators of Shovel Knight, which is set to launch on May 29.
More than one developer wants to avoid landing next to Mina the Hollower on the release calendar. This is not an unusual phenomenon in the video game industry: in recent months, numerous studios have changed the launch dates of their projects to avoid going up against high-profile releases such as Grand Theft Auto VI, Hollow Knight: Silksong or the recent Subnautica 2. Now it seems that Yacht Club Games, the studio behind the acclaimed Shovel Knight, has reignited the trend with its next major adventure.
Mina the Hollower is set to launch on May 29. It may not be the most anticipated release for the wider community, but it is the latest game from a studio that has left an enormous mark on the indie scene. As a result, two independent developers have already decided to change the release dates of their respective titles to avoid clashing with the new Yacht Club Games release: EMUUROM and Dark Scrolls.
Borbware, the studio behind the metroidvania EMUUROM, confirmed the decision earlier this month with a short statement on Steam, openly acknowledging that the change was made to avoid the new title from Yacht Club Games. “Since Mina the Hollower will be released on May 29, we’ve had to make some quick adjustments to our release schedule… So EMUUROM will be available on May 25!”
The message from Doinksoft and Devolver Digital, the teams behind Dark Scrolls, is a little more personal for players, while also announcing a much bigger date shift for the action-platformer. “Remember when we said Dark Scrolls would be released on May 28th? We actually meant June 22nd, and it has nothing to do with the fact that our friends at Yacht Club Games have announced that Mina the Hollower will be released a day later, on May 29th”, their statement reads. “But that’s okay: there’s room for two pixelated fantasy action games in the world. You’ll just have to wait a little longer to play this one. But it’ll be worth it, because in our game you’ll be able to play as a rat with a saxophone.”
Mina The Hollower And Dark Scrolls Were Supposed To Form A Steam Bundle
The May 29 release date for Mina the Hollower actually disrupted plans with Devolver Digital. Yacht Club Games had been working with the Dark Scrolls team on a Steam bundle that would have included both platformers. The issue only became clear when the two teams were already discussing the details of that bundle.
“Doinksoft announced their release date for May 5th, and we announced ours for May 6th. Then, in the middle of an email exchange about the bundles, we realized we had practically chosen the same release date… To which I responded with a sincere apology to Doinksoft for the mistake. They understood perfectly, we talked, and they decided to postpone their game”, the developers told GameSpot.
In any case, players will have plenty of time to play Mina the Hollower, EMUUROM and Dark Scrolls. Most importantly, there have been no major changes to the new Yacht Club Games title itself, so fans of Shovel Knight can dive into the retro-styled world of Mina the Hollower starting May 29.
Source: 3DJuegos
