Shovel Knight was a breakout success for developer Yacht Club Games when the 2D platformer first released in 2014. The platforming action game would receive multiple accolades following its launch including Best Indie Game at the 2014 Game Awards and would spawn multiple expansions featuring new ways to play the game. Recent years have even seen several spinoffs of the franchise like last year's Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon. Now, Yacht Club Games has officially revealed the release date for the franchise's newest spinoff, Shovel Knight Dig.
The release date trailer uploaded to Yacht Club Games' YouTube channel features an amusing opening skit starring popular YouTube creators Egoraptor and The Completionist, with the latter donning the iconic Shovel Knight armor. The trailer shows off multiple gameplay segments before confirming the finalized release date for Shovel Knight Dig for less than a month away. Yacht Club officially revealed Shovel Knight Dig will launch late next month on September 23rd for Apple Arcade, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.
Gameplay segments from the new Shovel Knight Dig trailer show off the spinoff's major departure from the original, featuring more vertically-oriented side-scrolling action. Stages will see Shovel Knight descending downwards as he pursues Drill Knight to reclaim his stolen loot. Dig co-developer Nitrome had previously cited the vertical gameplay of games like Downwell and Super Mario Bros. 2 as a major inspiration for the Shovel Knight spinoff. Shovel Knight Dig was also previously confirmed to be shedding the franchise's traditional linear progression in favor of a rogue-lite gameplay style.
Shovel Knight Dig's release next month comes after several years in development for the Nitrome-led spinoff. Shovel Knight Dig was first revealed in August 2019, only months before the release of Shovel Knight's final two expansions in King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown. While Shovel Knight Dig was planned for a 2021 launch, Yacht Club and Nitrome would announce in November of last year that the game's release would be pushed into 2022. The announcement of Shovel Knight Dig's final release date comes two days after the three-year anniversary of the game's reveal.
The massive success of Shovel Knight has seen the character become an iconic part of gaming culture, being featured in crossovers with multiple different games. The titular Shovel Knight was featured as an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the character has been playable in games like Rivals of Aether and Brawlhalla. 2021 saw battle royale platformer Fall Guys add a Shovel Knight costume to the game. Shovel Knight Dig looks to bring a new spin on the classic Shovel Knight formula when it releases next month.
Shovel Knight Dig is scheduled to release on September 23rd, 2022 for Apple Arcade, PC, and Switch.