Mina the Hollower was originally funded through Kickstarter by Yacht Club Games, the studio behind Shovel Knight. The campaign successfully reached its goal and the game launched on May 29, 2026. Here is a summary of the campaign and what backers received.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Developer | Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight creators) |
| Platform | Kickstarter |
| Campaign status | Successfully funded |
| Game release date | May 29, 2026 |
| Price at launch | $19.99 |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam |
Yacht Club Games announced Mina the Hollower as their next original IP following the success of Shovel Knight. The Kickstarter campaign was used to fund development and gauge community interest in the new IP before full production.
Yacht Club Games is the studio behind Shovel Knight, one of the best-reviewed indie games of the 2010s. Mina the Hollower is their second original IP, featuring a new protagonist, new mechanics, and a darker visual style inspired by the Game Boy Color era.
| Game | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shovel Knight | 2014 | Yacht Club's debut — over 4 million copies sold |
| Shovel Knight: King of Cards | 2019 | Final expansion in the Shovel Knight Treasure Trove |
| Mina the Hollower | 2026 | New IP — second original game from Yacht Club Games |
Yacht Club Games launched the Mina the Hollower Kickstarter in early 2022 following the game’s announcement at The Game Awards 2021. The campaign was successfully funded and helped shape the final game’s scope and backer rewards.
| Campaign Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Launch date | Early 2022 |
| Platform | Kickstarter |
| Developer | Yacht Club Games |
| Result | Successfully funded |
| Game released | May 29, 2026 |
| Backers | Tens of thousands of backers worldwide |
The Kickstarter offered multiple backer tiers with increasing rewards. Higher tiers included physical editions, art books, soundtracks, and name credits in the game.
| Reward Tier (approximate) | What Backers Received |
|---|---|
| Digital tier | Digital copy of the game on chosen platform at launch |
| Physical tier | Physical edition (cartridge or disc) + digital copy |
| Collector’s tier | Physical copy + art book + digital soundtrack |
| Premium tier | All above + name in credits, limited edition packaging |
Backer copies were delivered at launch on May 29, 2026 alongside the retail release. Digital backer keys were distributed via Kickstarter's backer survey through Backerkit.
Yacht Club Games was founded in 2011 by former WayForward developers. Their debut game, Shovel Knight (2014), became one of the most acclaimed indie games of the decade, selling over 4 million copies and earning more than 75 awards. The studio is known for releasing substantial post-launch expansions for free — Shovel Knight received four free DLC campaigns over several years.
| Title | Year | Platforms | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove | 2014–2020 | All major platforms | 4M+ copies sold; 75+ awards; 4 free DLC campaigns |
| Shovel Knight Dig | 2022 | PC, Switch | Roguelite spin-off developed with Nitrome |
| Shovel Knight Showdown | 2019 | All major platforms | Platform fighter spin-off |
| Mina the Hollower | 2026 | All major platforms | First wholly original IP since Shovel Knight |
Mina the Hollower is Yacht Club Games’ first wholly original IP since Shovel Knight. Rather than another Shovel Knight spin-off, it introduces a new protagonist, setting, and mechanical identity — the Victorian horror aesthetic, top-down burrowing, and trinket-based build system are all unique to this game.
Yacht Club Games self-published Shovel Knight without external publisher funding, using a Kickstarter campaign to validate demand and secure early development funding. They used the same model for Mina the Hollower — a Kickstarter campaign to confirm player interest and raise funds for the first development phase, while retaining full creative control without a publisher.
By funding development through Kickstarter and self-publishing, Yacht Club Games retained full ownership of Mina the Hollower. This is why they were able to release years of free DLC for Shovel Knight — no publisher taking a revenue cut means more money to reinvest into the game.
Kickstarter backers also gave Yacht Club Games valuable early feedback on character design, gameplay direction, and platform priorities. The game’s simultaneous multi-platform launch (including Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox, and Steam) was partly shaped by which platforms backers asked for most.
Mina the Hollower is the Kickstarter-backed action-adventure game by Yacht Club Games, released May 29, 2026. The game follows Mina, a vampire with the ability to burrow underground — a mechanic called Hollowing — on a mission across the cursed Tenebrous Isle. It includes 28 bosses, 60 trinkets for passive build customisation, 15 sidearms, and six distinct regions. The game is available on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam for $19.99. Kickstarter backers helped bring the game to life over a four-year development period.
Yes. Mina the Hollower was originally announced and funded via Kickstarter by Yacht Club Games. The campaign successfully reached its funding goal and the game launched on May 29, 2026.
Yacht Club Games, the studio behind Shovel Knight. Mina the Hollower is their second original IP.
The Kickstarter campaign is closed. The game is now available for purchase at $19.99 on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam.
Mina the Hollower is a separate IP from Shovel Knight. It shares the same developer (Yacht Club Games) and a similar retro pixel art philosophy, but features different characters, settings, and mechanics.
Action-adventure / Metroidvania. Players explore interconnected regions, defeat bosses, collect trinkets and sidearms, and use the Hollowing mechanic to burrow underground for traversal and evasion.
No. The Kickstarter campaign closed in 2022. The game has now released on May 29, 2026 and is available for purchase on all platforms at the standard retail price of $19.99. Kickstarter backing is no longer available or necessary.
No. Kickstarter backers received their copies on the same day as the general public — May 29, 2026. There was no early access period for backers. Digital keys were distributed via BackerKit on launch day, and physical editions shipped around the same window.