Yacht Club’s Five-Year Shovel Knight 3D Journey And How Mina The Hollower Changed The Plan

5 December 2025
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10 min.
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Yacht Club’s Five-Year Shovel Knight 3D Journey And How Mina The Hollower Changed The Plan

Summary:

Yacht Club Games has finally confirmed what many fans suspected for years: a full 3D Shovel Knight project has been quietly in the works behind the scenes. Since early 2020, the studio has experimented with bringing its iconic blue knight into a new dimension while juggling the ambitious retro-inspired Mina the Hollower. To pull this off, Yacht Club split into two teams, with Sean Velasco and the other founders leading the charge on Shovel Knight 3D while a second group focused on Mina. Over time, leadership found itself stretched between both projects, trying to give each the attention it deserved. That balancing act could not last forever. In 2024, the studio paused development on Shovel Knight 3D so everyone could rally behind Mina the Hollower, which has become a crucial release for Yacht Club’s future. The plan now is to return to Shovel Knight 3D in 2026, combining both teams into one and using everything learned over the past five years to finally push the series into fully 3D territory. For fans, it means a longer wait, but also a better chance that both Mina and the long-awaited 3D Shovel Knight can shine instead of tripping over each other.

Shovel Knight 3D quietly takes shape behind the scenes

For a long time, Shovel Knight fans only had hints and coy phrases to cling to when dreaming about a 3D adventure. Yacht Club liked to tease a “new dimension” for the series, but there was no clear confirmation of what that actually meant. Behind closed doors, though, the team had already started poking and prodding at what Shovel Knight would look like in 3D. Early experiments, prototypes, and internal pitches slowly grew into a real project that the studio refers to as Shovel Knight 3D. It was never just a throwaway idea. This was a serious attempt to reimagine a beloved 2D platformer in a fully 3D space while still feeling like the same confident, shovel-swinging hero that players know. Five years later, that early decision to take the risk is still shaping the studio’s roadmap, even if the project has spent a lot of its life in the shadows.

How Yacht Club Games split into two teams in 2020

At the beginning of 2020, Yacht Club took a big structural leap and split into two distinct teams. Up to that point, the studio had largely thought in terms of one main project at a time, with Shovel Knight expansions and spin offs rolling out at a steady pace. Splitting into two groups was a way to chase fresh ideas without abandoning the knight that built the studio’s reputation. One team could explore bold territory with Shovel Knight 3D, while the other pressed ahead with Mina the Hollower and its Game Boy inspired gothic action. On paper, it sounded like a smart way to expand ambition without losing focus. In practice, it meant new communication challenges, more project management overhead, and a studio culture that had to adapt overnight. Still, that decision explains how Shovel Knight 3D could be in development for years without appearing to slow down other projects too much at first.

Sean Velasco and the founders push Shovel Knight into 3D

Shovel Knight is not just any character for Yacht Club, and it makes sense that the studio’s founders took personal ownership of his leap into 3D. A team led by Sean Velasco and the other founders was tasked with building Shovel Knight 3D from the ground up, treating it as the next true evolution of the series rather than a simple spin off. For them, it was not enough to just throw the knight into a generic 3D platformer layout. They needed to translate the tight feel of the original, the readability of enemies, and the rhythmic joy of pogoing on foes into a space where the camera, depth, and scale all change the rules. That kind of translation is hard. It demands prototypes that fail, camera systems that get torn out and rebuilt, and designs that swing between too faithful and too experimental. The founders’ involvement signals how important this project is to the studio’s identity and future.

Sharing leadership between Shovel Knight 3D and Mina the Hollower

As exciting as a 3D Shovel Knight sounds, it did not exist in a vacuum. Mina the Hollower was running alongside it, asking for its own share of attention and leadership. Eventually, Yacht Club’s leaders found themselves splitting time between Shovel Knight 3D and Mina, juggling meetings, feedback sessions, and design decisions for two demanding projects. Anyone who has tried to lead two big initiatives at once knows how quickly this can wear you down. You spend your mornings in one world, your afternoons in another, and your evenings wondering if either is getting what it really needs from you. For Yacht Club, this meant both Shovel Knight 3D and Mina progressed, but neither marched ahead as quickly as a single focus project could have. The studio was ambitious and passionate, but the industry around it was becoming harsher, with higher costs, longer timelines, and less room for missed bets.

Why Shovel Knight 3D was paused in 2024 for Mina the Hollower

By 2024, the realities of time, money, and pressure finally caught up with those parallel ambitions. Mina the Hollower, originally revealed in 2022 and supported by a successful crowdfunding campaign, had grown into a sizable undertaking with rising expectations from backers and fans. Delays, including a major one that pushed the release away from an October 31 launch window, turned Mina from “the next Yacht Club project” into a crucial test of the studio’s long term stability. Faced with this, Yacht Club made the tough call to pause development on Shovel Knight 3D so everyone could rally around Mina. All the energy, talent, and focus that had been split between two worlds now had to converge on a single game. It is the kind of unglamorous but necessary decision that can save a studio, even if it breaks a few hearts in the short term among those itching to keep pushing the 3D project forward.

Bloomberg spotlight reveals a make or break moment for Yacht Club

When Bloomberg published its feature on Yacht Club Games, the outside world got a rare look at just how high the stakes have become. The report describes Mina the Hollower as a make or break moment for the studio, painting a picture of a company that has poured years of effort and much of its capital into this one game. The piece details how Mina has been in production for almost six years, how the planned release was delayed only weeks before launch, and how closely the studio’s future is now tied to its success. For fans, this context reframes the decision to pause Shovel Knight 3D. It is not a sign that the 3D project is doomed. Instead, it shows that Yacht Club is willing to protect itself by concentrating on the game that is closest to shipping and most vital to its survival right now. In other words, the studio is trying to live long enough to make that 3D dream a reality.

The plan to reunite the studio around Shovel Knight 3D in 2026

Despite the pause, Shovel Knight 3D is not a scrapped experiment gathering dust in a forgotten folder. The current plan is to shift focus back to the project in 2026 and merge the two teams into one unified group. That means the people who have spent years wrestling with Mina’s gothic world, enemy patterns, and technical demands will eventually bring those lessons back into the Shovel Knight universe. A reunited team also avoids the earlier problem of leadership being split between two projects. Instead of pulling the founders in multiple directions, everyone can rally behind one clear goal again. If Mina lands well and gives Yacht Club breathing room, that 2026 pivot could feel like a fresh start. It turns five years of on and off experimentation into the foundation for a full scale production push where the studio’s entire creative weight finally presses behind Shovel Knight 3D.

What a modern 3D Shovel Knight could mean for players

Because Shovel Knight 3D is still under wraps, players are left to imagine what a fully 3D take on the series could actually look like. That uncertainty can be fun. You can picture sweeping hub areas that echo classic 3D platformers, tight challenge rooms that feel like expanded versions of the original levels, or even cooperative modes where you and a friend explore a chunky, toy like world full of secrets. Whatever direction Yacht Club chooses, the studio’s track record suggests a strong focus on precise controls, readable enemy patterns, and playful level design. Moving into 3D also opens doors for more expressive animations, dramatic camera sweeps, and boss fights that use vertical space as much as horizontal. For long time fans, the idea of digging into a fully 3D kingdom with Shovel Knight at the center feels like revisiting a favorite childhood playground that has suddenly grown into an entire theme park.

What all this means for Mina the Hollower’s future

Mina the Hollower sits right at the center of this story. It is the reason Shovel Knight 3D had to be paused, but also the key that could unlock the project’s future. If Mina performs well, it gives Yacht Club more than just revenue. It restores confidence, reassures partners, and proves that the studio can still launch something new that stands alongside Shovel Knight rather than hiding in its shadow. A successful Mina also gives the reunited team in 2026 a much healthier starting point when they pour their energy back into Shovel Knight 3D. On the other hand, if Mina struggles, the studio has already acknowledged it would need more financial support to keep going. That uncertainty is nerve wracking for fans, but it also makes supporting Mina feel like a way of voting for the future of Shovel Knight 3D and the studio as a whole.

How this shift affects the wider Shovel Knight series and fans

Shovel Knight has become one of the most recognizable indie heroes around, with spin offs, cameos, and merch that keep the series visible even when no mainline sequel is on the shelves. The decision to pause Shovel Knight 3D does not erase that legacy. Instead, it stretches the timeline and tests fans’ patience a bit more. Some players might worry that the brand is in limbo, but the steady stream of smaller projects, crossovers, and updates has kept the knight in the conversation. The key shift now is that the series’ next big leap will almost certainly be that 3D project, not another retro styled expansion. That changes how fans imagine the future. Instead of expecting another 8 bit style romp, they can start thinking about what it will be like to explore villages, castles, and wild boss arenas in full 3D. The wait is longer, but the payoff has the potential to feel much bigger.

What Yacht Club’s changing strategy says about indie studios today

Yacht Club’s story is not just about one studio or one knight with a shovel. It reflects the broader reality of modern indie development, where costs are rising, timelines are stretching, and even successful teams face tough decisions. Splitting into two teams, chasing multiple ambitious projects, and then pulling back to focus on one critical release is a pattern that many studios will recognize. It shows how tempting it is to grow quickly when you have a hit, and how risky that growth can become when the market gets harsher. By pausing Shovel Knight 3D and planning to reunite the team in 2026, Yacht Club is effectively choosing sustainability over endless expansion. For players, it is a reminder that the games they love are built by people working within real financial and emotional limits. Supporting Mina the Hollower and staying patient for Shovel Knight 3D is not just fandom – it is a way of helping an admired studio navigate a rough industry moment.

Conclusion

Yacht Club Games has spent five years quietly nurturing Shovel Knight 3D while wrestling with the growing demands of Mina the Hollower and a tougher indie landscape. Splitting into two teams in 2020 allowed the studio to chase both dreams at once, but the cost of divided leadership became clear over time. Pausing Shovel Knight 3D in 2024 to focus on Mina was not the kind of announcement fans hoped to hear, yet it was a practical move aimed at giving the studio its best shot at survival. The plan to reunite everyone around Shovel Knight 3D in 2026 shows that the project is still very much alive, just waiting for its moment. For players, the message is simple: Mina needs support now, and Shovel Knight’s 3D future is still on the horizon. If everything goes right, this long pause could set up a return that feels stronger, more confident, and worth every extra year of waiting.

FAQs
  • How long has Yacht Club been working on Shovel Knight 3D?
    • Yacht Club has been working on Shovel Knight 3D on and off since 2020, which means the project has been part of the studio’s life for about five years already. The early years involved experiments and prototyping while the team adjusted to a two project structure. Even though development has been paused since 2024, the groundwork from those years is expected to inform the renewed push planned for 2026 when the studio reunites around the game.
  • Why did Yacht Club pause development on Shovel Knight 3D?
    • Development on Shovel Knight 3D was paused in 2024 so the entire studio could focus on finishing Mina the Hollower. With Mina delayed from its planned October 31 release window and described as a make or break project, Yacht Club chose to shift resources away from the 3D Shovel Knight experiment. This decision lets the team concentrate on delivering Mina at the quality level it needs while keeping the 3D project in reserve for a later, more stable phase.
  • Who is leading the Shovel Knight 3D project inside Yacht Club?
    • A team led by studio director Sean Velasco and the other founders took charge of Shovel Knight 3D when Yacht Club split into two teams in 2020. Their goal has been to translate the feel and personality of the original Shovel Knight into 3D without losing what made it special in 2D. While leadership time later had to be shared with Mina the Hollower, the founders’ involvement underlines how important this 3D project is to the studio’s long term vision.
  • When will work on Shovel Knight 3D start again?
    • The current plan is for Yacht Club to shift focus back to Shovel Knight 3D in 2026. At that point, the studio intends to combine the two teams into one unified group so everyone can work together on the project. The exact release window is not known, and a lot depends on how Mina the Hollower performs, but the 2026 pivot suggests that the 3D game is still a major part of the studio’s roadmap rather than a canceled idea.
  • Does the pause mean Shovel Knight 3D might be canceled?
    • Right now, the pause is described as a temporary shift in focus rather than a cancellation. Reports about Yacht Club’s situation highlight that the 3D Shovel Knight project is on hold while the studio rallies around Mina the Hollower. The outlined plan to return to Shovel Knight 3D in 2026 and merge both teams suggests that Yacht Club still sees it as a key next step for the series, provided Mina can give the studio enough stability to move forward confidently.
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