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All Articles: Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows
Yacht Club delays Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown
Yacht Club Games originally planned to close the book on the Shovel Knight saga on April 9 with the release of Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown. But plans change, and late last night the developer confirmed (via their official website) that both titles would be delayed by “several months… at most!”
Naturally, this delay will also apply to the upcoming retail release of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (a compilation containing all five Shovel Knight games), as well as the Amiibo 3-Pack featuring Specter Knight, Plague Knight, and King Knight.
This is not a major delay so much as more space to bring everything together for a polished and complete finale. As always, these last steps require coordination with many teams beyond our own.
We realize the delay is disappointing. To communicate better with everyone moving forward, we will not be announcing a new date until we know one for sure, from all partners involved. All builds shipped out, updates ready to launch, for everybody and everyone. We will announce it for good once it is 100% all across the board!
The final two games in the Shovel Knight saga are currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, but other platforms will also get in on the fun. King of Cards will be available as a free expansion on the 3DS, PS3, Vita, and Wii U for owners of the original Shovel Knight, while Showdown will receive a similar release on the PS3 and Wii U.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight Showdown, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Shovel Knight: King of Cards will be released on April 9, 2019
Yacht Club Games originally wanted to release Shovel Knight: King of Cards a few years ago, but the expansion kept getting pushed back as they dug deeper into Shovel Knight’s world. Today, the developer is finally ready to confirm that Shovel Knight: King of Cards will be released for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One on April 9, 2019.
The developer is also bundling together the original Shovel Knight and all of its expansions (including Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment, King of Cards, and the recently-announced Shovel Knight Showdown) in a new retail release for the PS4 and Switch. This Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove will also launch on April 9.
But wait, there’s more. The Amiibo 3-Pack featuring King Knight, Specter Knight, and Plague Knight will also make its debut in stores on April 9. The figures will unlock “exclusive armor sets, new Challenge stages, and the ability to summon fairy companions to accompany players on quests” in the games for the 3DS, Switch, and Wii U.
Finally, attendees at this weekend’s PAX West show in Seattle will get the chance to try out a playable demo of Shovel Knight: King of Cards at Yacht Club’s booth.
Yacht Club will also release Amiibo figures for King Knight, Specter Knight, Plague Knight
In addition to unveiling the first gameplay footage from Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Nintendo and Yacht Club Games announced that a new Amiibo 3-Pack featuring King Knight, Specter Knight, and Plague Knight will soon be available.
Tapping each Order of No Quarter member will unlock “exclusive armor sets, new Challenge stages, and the ability to summon fairy companions to accompany players on quests” in Shovel Knight. You can get a look at the new figures in the GameGrumps-produced trailer embedded above.
Shovel Knight: King of Cards will be available to download for the 3DS, Wii U, and Switch in Early 2018. The Amiibo 3-Pack doesn’t currently have a release date, but presumably it’ll appear in stores around the same time.
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged PAX West 2017, Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows
Shovel Knight: Official Design Works officially announced by Udon Entertainment
It looks like the rumors are true… Udon Entertainment will release a Shovel Knight artbook this August.
Shovel Knight: Official Design Works will include an in-depth look at the early concept art that allowed Shovel Knight to become a Kickstarter darling and indie sensation, as well an exclusive interview with the development team:
Udon has worked very closely with developer Yacht Club Games to ensure that Shovel Knight: Official Design Works is every bit the definitive Shovel Knight art book that fans deserve. Within its pages you’ll find character art, developer commentary, rough illustrations and concept art, background development images, comprehensive sprite sheets, full-page promotional illustrations, and more – including an exclusive interview with the game’s development team!
The 184-page book will also include content from the game’s first expansion, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows.
If you can’t wait until August, you can view a selection of preview pages at the the publishing company’s official website right now.
Shovel Knight is officially coming to Nintendo Switch; Yacht Club also plans to re-release the expansions as standalone games
Followers of the Code of Shovelry have quite a bit to celebrate today as Yacht Club Games uncovered a massive amount of new information about Shovel Knight on the game’s official site… including confirmation that it’ll be released for the Nintendo Switch.
Yes, the side-scrolling masterpiece will make its way to the Nintendo Switch sometime this year, along with each expansion and all the bonus content like Body Swap Mode and Co-Op Mode. Oh, speaking of Body Swap Mode, it’s finished and will be released alongside the Specter Knight expansion this Spring. And in the spirit of sharing, Co-Op Mode will no longer be exclusive to the Wii U (and the Shovel Knight Amiibo). According to the developer, it will soon be available for all consoles and the PC (but not the 3DS or the Vita) as a free update.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Shovel Knight’s release structure will soon be undergoing some changes, though Kickstarter backers and other current owners won’t notice anything different. Yacht Club has decided to upgrade the game for current owners to the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove on all platforms. Available this Spring, the Treasure Trove will include free access to all updates and expansions. But because the expansions have grown beyond being simple character swaps, Yacht Club has decided to raise the price of the Treasure Trove for newcomers once its available. The game’s new price has yet to be announced, but the current $14.99 price (and its promise of free updates and expansions) will remain in place until the Treasure Trove is released.
For everyone who has yet to purchase Shovel Knight (or for those who might want to rebuy the game on a new platform), Yacht Club has decided to split each of the expansions off into its own standalone game. So the original Shovel Knight campaign will receive a new subtitle (Shovel of Hope), and the expansions (Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment, the King Knight campaign, and Battle Mode) will all be available as individual downloads (and for a lower price) on the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
Finally, Yacht Club has begun to think about life after Shovel Knight, and will soon begin work on their “second” game (depending on how you count the Shovel Knight expansions). Writing in a new Q&A, the developer said, “[I]f you want something new outside of Shovel Knight… we have vowed to begin work on a new project this year!”
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight Showdown, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Shovel Knight has sold over one million copies; Specter Knight and King Knight expansions will be finished by the end of the year
Yacht Club Games is in a rather celebratory mood this morning as they’ve announced that Shovel Knight has now sold more than one million copies. According to a blog post on their official site, the current number is actually over 1.2 million copies, with 200,000 sales coming from the game’s recently released retail edition.
For statistics nerds, this blog post is a treasure trove of information including a sales breakdown for each platform, region, and retailer, as well as sections for Steam User Stats, the Plague of Shadows expansion, and the Amiibo figure.
And speaking of expansions, Yacht Club has pledged that development work on the Specter Knight and King Knight expansions will be completed by the end of the year. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll launch by the end of the year, but they’re much closer to release than they were yesterday.
The developers at Yacht Club condensed a lot of this information into a great infographic, which you can find right here.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows will infect all platforms on September 17
Yacht Club Games has announced that Shovel Knight‘s Plague of Shadows expansion will be available to download on all platforms and in all regions on September 17. The free update will completely transform the game, allowing players to take control of the villainous Plague Knight as he does battle with his fellow knights of The Order of No Quarter.
However, this challenge is only for expert players as the Plague of Shadows campaign will remain locked unless you’ve beaten the game as Shovel Knight.
Unlike some cinematic knights, prospective Plague of Shadows players won’t need to choose wisely as Shovel Knight is currently available for the PC, 3DS, Wii U, PS3, PS4, Vita, and Xbox One. Yacht Club will continue to expand the world of Shovel Knight in the future as campaigns centered around King Knight and Specter Knight are in the works. In the nearer future, a Shovel Knight Amiibo figure, which will unlock a Co-Op Campaign on the 3DS and Wii U, will be released sometime this Fall.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows
Shovel Knight Amiibo figure (and possibly a sequel) officially announced by Nintendo
Wii U and 3DS owners were left out in the cold earlier this year when Shovel Knight‘s PS4 and Xbox One debut included exclusive platform-specific content. We could only sit back and watch as our knightly brethren did battle with Kratos and the Battletoads. However, the wait was probably worth it as Yacht Club Games had a very important Shovel Knight-related announcement to make during Nindies@Night, Nintendo’s pre-PAX event at the EMP Museum.
This news is three-pronged, and huge, so let’s start small. You know what else is small? Amiibo figures are small. Even a Shovel Knight Amiibo figure, which will be available this Fall and which unlocks exclusive content in the 3DS and Wii U game. On the Wii U, players will be able to team up with a friend and take on the Order of No Quarter in a co-op mode. In addition, customizable gear (featuring new visual enhancements, relics, and abilities) and a special Challenge Mode will also be available on the Wii U and the 3DS.
Let me pause for a moment and mention that Nintendo did not announce Shovel Knight’s addition to the DLC slate for Super Smash Bros. For 3DS/Wii U, even though an extensive fan campaign has been pushing for the character’s inclusion in the fighting game for months. However, the commission of an Amiibo figure (the first to be compatible with a Nindie game) is certainly a strong indicator that Nintendo is at least considering it.
Moving on, Nintendo also confirmed that the Shovel Knight Amiibo will be compatible with future games released for Nintendo platforms. So, in a roundabout way, Nintendo just confirmed the existence of Shovel Knight 2 (or a Shovel Knight appearance in Super Smash Bros. For 3DS/Wii U).
Yacht Club teased a “MEGATON” announcement earlier this week, and the announcement of a sequel to their beloved debut game (or an appearance in Smash Bros.) certainly fits the bill. Though, I suppose, the upcoming expansions would also count as “future games.” So we probably shouldn’t start talking sequel just yet.
Finally, the developer revealed that the Plague of Shadows expansion will be available to download in September. And if you’re interested in seeing the Shovel Knight Amiibo figure “in action,” I recommend checking out the comedic trailer from Game Grumps after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged PAX Prime 2015, Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows