Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games shall be in deep trouble if its subsequent launch is not successful: ‘It’s make-or-break for positive’

Shovel Knight was a significant indie hit, with greater than three million copies offered, an “overwhelmingly positive” ranking on Steam, and a model so recognizable it is spawned spinoffs and crossovers with video games starting from Bloodstained to For Honor. But within the 10 years since Shovel Knight first appeared, developer Yacht Club Games has struggled to provide a full-on follow-up hit, and in a brand new interview with Bloomberg, studio founder Cris Velasco says it will likely be in deep trouble if its subsequent recreation is not successful.

That ‘subsequent recreation’ could be Mina the Hollower, a kind of gothic Link’s Awakening that was revealed to the world in 2022. “It’s make-or-break for sure,” Velasco mentioned. “If we sold 500,000 copies, then we would be golden. If we sold even 200,000, that would be really, really great. If we sold, like, 100,000, that’s not so good.”