Shovel Knight is getting a Retail Release, but Not on Xbox One
Over on their website Yacht Club Games have released a boat load of new information on their Kickstarted title Shovel Knight. The new information centres on the retail release of the game. Firstly the retail release has been confirmed for November 3rd in North America and October 30th in Europe. This is a little later than they initially intended the retail release to come out, but Yacht Club wanted to make sure the Plague of Shadows expansion could be included. In fact here’s exactly what they said: “The final steps of the Plague of Shadows content took a little longer than expected, but it was important to us that this update to be on the disc/cart right out of the box!”
Next comes the sad news. The retail version for Xbox One has been cancelled. Here’s what Yacht Club had to say on the matter: “We really gave it our best effort, but unfortunately, because of publishing policies on that platform that are totally beyond our control, we couldn’t make it happen. We’re very sorry…” They go on to thank fans that showed interest and support by pre-ordering, and insured them that the digital version of the game on Xbox One will continue to be supported.
The game’s price has also been raised. Due to problems with display space in retail only games above a certain price point will get a prominent position on the shelves. In an effort to avoid the “bargain bin” and give Shovel Knight the best chance possible Yacht Club have raised the retail price from $19.99 to $24.99. While it’s a little disappointing it’s understandable, and the $5 difference probably won’t put off the diehard fans that have been waiting to get their hands on a physical version of the game. However if you have already pre-ordered Shovel Knight at retail the original price should still be honoured
Now for a final wrap up! Due to the retail editions raise in price a digital version of the games original soundtrack is also being thrown in. While the soundtrack is already available for free it is a nice gesture. Vita fans will not be getting a physical copy of Shovel Knight for the time being, but Yacht Club is trying to make it happen in the future. Finally if you’re wondering about the Shovel Knight amiibo, it’s still on the way but there’s no official release date at the moment, however Yacht Club should have news soon.