As its name suggests, Shovel of Hope DX is an upcoming expanded re-release of the very original Shovel Knight’s very first campaign. It will come with a number of improvements and new features, including 20 playable characters in total, online multiplayer, and more. There will also be a new Rewind function, which will do exactly what it sounds like, while players will be able to use Save States. Beyond that, you can also expect over 300 cheats with which to modify the adventure and gameplay experience in a number of different ways. Meanwhile, previous updates for the game will, of course, be included as well.

“Simply put, this is the definitive edition of Shovel of Hope,” the developer says. “It’s also our way of preserving the game’s historical functionality, ensuring these elements remain available for future generations of players. And with the new multiplayer features and other enhancements, we hope it includes everything on your wish list.”

Thus far, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX has only been announced for PC. There’s no word on whether it will also be releasing for other platforms, or when exactly it will be releasing. Stay tuned for more updates.

At its recent Yacht Club Games Presents presentation, the developer announced that it is working on the next mainline Shovel Knight game. Though not yet formally announced, Yacht Club says the game – which has been in the works for four years – will “launch Shovel Knight into an entirely new dimension of gaming”. Is that an indication that the next Shovel Knight is going to be a 3D title? That remains to be seen.

“We’re committed to crafting an experience that not only honors the Shovel Knight legacy but also pioneers groundbreaking, innovative gameplay mechanics,” Yacht Club says. “This isn’t just another sequel – it’s a bold new adventure that will launch Shovel Knight into an entirely new dimension of gaming.

“We’re not quite ready to unveil everything just yet, rest assured, the game will bring electrifying action, richer mechanics, and all the timeless charm you expect from a Shovel Knight title.

“It’s been four years in the making because we’re dedicated to perfecting every pixel and ensuring that the innovation will redefine what a Shovel Knight game can be.”

The developer also says it has planted hidden clues on what the future holds for Shovel Knight in the series’ past games – Treasure Trove, Dig, and Pocket Dungeon – so fans are going to have some more digging to do.

CELESTE

That Celeste, a small-budget indie game made by a tiny team, is unequivocally one of the best platformers we’ve played in years absolutely cannot be taken for granted. That, of course, is down to the fact that it works within its limitations to deliver something so unique and well-made. Particularly on the platforming front, it’s a game that can be gruelingly difficult. Even if you’re sticking to the critical path, grappling with Celeste’s demanding platforming trials can be quite the task, though it’s the optional content that really provides the truly difficult challenges. Thankfully, thanks to the game’s pixel perfect platforming and incredible level design, that rarely ever feels overbearing.

Specter of Torment required 15 months, 16 team members and a $1.5 million budget. As for the most recent additions, King of Cards cost $2.5 million (with Kickstarter accounting for $25K) and required 18 months of time with 16 team members. Shovel Knight Showdown required $1.5 million ($50K from Kickstarter), 12 months development time and 16 team members.

Overall, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove has had a development period of 110 months and a budget of $9 million. Other interesting figures include Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon selling 35,000 units and Cyber Shadow selling 85,000 units with more than 300,000 downloads on Xbox Game Pass. For the latter, the combined budget with developer Aarne “MekaSkull” Hunziker was $600,000 though this doesn’t account for the amount spent out of his own pocket.

Overall, Yacht Club Games has generated over $40 million in revenue across all of its games. It’s currently working on Mina the Hollower and Shovel Knight Dig, the latter releasing this year. Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon also has some post-launch DLC coming up so stay tuned.

Shovel Knight was quite the indie sensation several years ago, and found its way onto almost every platform on Earth and into a lot of different franchises with crossovers. The blue shovel wielding knight certainly made quite the impression, and now is showing up once more in a rather unexpected place.

It was announced that Ubisoft’s historical mishmash fighter, For Honor, would be crossing over with Yacht Club’s indie darling. For a limited time, you’ll be able to get gear, emotes and effects based on the popular title. It definitely isn’t a crossover one would expect, but For Honor has been part of some unexpected crossovers in the past itself.

For Honor is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, with enhancements for those playing on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The Shovel Knight crossover will be for a limited time, and you’ll be able to grab the new gear up until March 4th.

Yacht Club Games have become one of the biggest indie studios in the industry, and over the last few years, thanks to Shovel Knight and its many updates, they’ve built a reputation for themselves as developers of top-notch 2D platforming content. But now, it seems the studio might be gearing up to move into uncharted territory.

As per a job ad posted by Yacht Club Games on Gamasutra, the studio is looking to hire “a capable mid to senior level gameplay programmer”. What’s curious about this job ad is the part that explains that Yacht Club are ” working on a new 3D project”, and that they’re currently building up their 3D team and their custom engine to “complement our existing 2D team”.

There’s no indication for what sort of a game this is or what platforms it is being made for. Yacht Club confirmed earlier this year that they were working on two brand new unannounced projects, with founder Sean Velasco remarking that it would “be interesting to see a brand new IP from Yacht Club Games” and that if players enjoyed Shovel Knight, they would “surely be interested in these games as well.”

Thee developer has also said that it Shovel Knight 2 is something that it will most likely work on at some point. Later this year, they’re also set to publish Mechanical Head Studios’ retro action-platformer Cyber Shadow.

Shovel Knight is probably one of the biggest success stories we’ve ever seen in the indie space. Thanks to Yacht Club Games’ consistent support for the title since its launch years ago, and thanks to the immaculate quality of each and every one of those updates, the property has accumulated a massive fanbase over the years. That, of course, means that audiences are hungry to see more Shovel Knight, especially now that the first game’s been wrapped up, and Yacht Club Games themselves have been very open about their desire to keep the series going.

A spinoff sequel titled Shovel Knight Dig is already in development, but could we see a proper Shovel Knight 2 as well? According to Yacht Club Games artist Sandy Gordon, it’s almost definitely going to happen. Speaking to DualShockers, Gordon said that even though development on Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove has wrapped up, that is “definitely not the end of Shovel Knight.”

Gordon says that Yacht Club are hoping for “a lot more Shovel Knight down the road”, and that they are “absolutely” thinking about a sequel. In fact, Gordon says he’s “sure that’ll happen at some point”, also adding, “It’s something we talk about a lot.”

Yacht Club Games recently announced that they’re working on two new unannounced projects– here’s hoping one of them is a mainline Shovel Knight sequel. Meanwhile, the studio will also be publishing the upcoming Mechanical Head Studios-developed retro action-platformer Cyber Shadow, which is due out this Fall.

Shovel Knight became one of the biggest indie sensations out there as soon as it first came out. The character was something of an ambassador for independent games, even earning a place in Smash, and becoming one of the best-selling independent game projects ever. The title saw several expansions and spin offs, which will be coming to an end – for now – with the upcoming Shovel Knight Dig. But the series director doesn’t plan for the series to completely end just yet.

In an interview with Nintendo Power Podcast, Sean Velasco fielded several questions about the series. With regards to the franchise’s future, he said that he wants to continue the titular knight’s adventures, even with Dig finishing out the original Treasure Trove saga.

“The Shovel Knight saga of games has come to a close within Treasure Trove but we hope for many adventures in the future with Shovel Knight y’know,” says Gordon. “Hopefully we’ll be able to continue making Shovel Knight games for a long time and Dig is most likely going to be the next one that comes out.”

Shovel Knight and its various expansions and spin-offs are available now on most major platforms through Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. The latest, and final, game that will feature in the bundle will be Shovel Knight Dig, and it will release sometime this year.

Shovel Knight became an indie sensation and somewhat of an independent video game icon. It’s been a huge success for Yacht Club Games and has garnered several spin-offs and allowed the company to go into publishing other people’s games. It’s released on just about everything under the sun, but a large bulk of those sales have come from a surprising source.

In an interview with Destructoid, the game’s creator talked about various aspects of Shovel Knight as the company finally begins to wind up their work on the franchise. One of the biggest surprises is probably that one fourth of sales have come from the Switch.

The developer seems about as surprised as everyone else, calling it a “wild” figure. Considering how Shovel Knight has been released on everything in recent memory (and lord knows I mean everything), the fact that such a huge amount came to one of the most recent systems sure is something.

If you had any doubt that Shovel Knight was a bona fide sensation, today should have dispelled any of that. Not only did a full-fledged spin-off get announced in the form of Shovel Knight Dig, but a host of previously announced content got release windows, including the much anticipated physical release of  Treasure Trove.

First up, the last free expansion to the series, King of Cards, will come in December. It will bring 4 new worlds and 30 new courses as you play King Knight to see if he’s ready for the responsibility of ruling the kingdom. It will be available to all current owners of the game across all the many, many platforms the game is on.

Next up is Shovel Knight Showdown, a multiplayer fighter featuring characters from the series. In it you will have to scramble after gems to win, but there’s also a story mode to dig into. It will also come in December for all the same platforms as King of Cards, with the exception of 3DS and Vita.

And finally, rounding out the news, the physical edition of Treasure Trove will come to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch, also in December. It will include Shovel Knight and all of its expansions, along with Showdown. The physical release will also come with a free update with some minor tweaks that you can read all about through here.

All this content will come in December and will mark the end of the update schedule for the indie title. Talk about a run. You can also check out two new trailers for King of Cards and Showdown below.