Rumors have been swirling around online about the character Shovel Knight, from the hit side-scrolling game Shovel Knight, will be coming to the Super Smash Bros 4 roster via DLC. With the announcement that Shovel Knight would be getting the first official third-party amiibo only added fuel to the rumors. While these rumors may be coming from somewhere, developer Yacht Club Games has nothing to say on the subject.
When asked at PAX Prime about Shovel Knight being added as a DLC character to Super Smash Bros 4, Sean Velasco responded in the negative, saying "No, we don't have anything to say about that." Velasco is the "Captain" at Yacht Club Games.
Velasco did talk about the recently announced amiibo for Shovel Knight, and was incredibly excited for it. "We're the first third-party amiibo being made," Velasco said. He also mentioned that Nintendo approached them in regards to actually making one. "Nintendo, they do this thing where they go to developers and tell them what's next," Velasco said. "We brought up amiibo, and they gave us a run-down of everything. We never thought we could do a third-party amiibo, but that's what Nintendo's plan was."
"We already have a pretty big merchandise wing at Yacht Club. We make shovels and shirts and toys and things," Velasco said. "We already had this set up to make something like this, and it was right in our wheelhouse. We're manufacturing and distributing the thing ourselves, but Nintendo is there with oversight. They've helped us out every step of the way. We've been working on this deal for a year now, so it's exciting to be able to tell everyone 'here it is!'"
If you missed the original announcement, the rumors were partially true. The amiibo, compatible with both the 3DS and Wii U versions of Shovel Knight, will unlock new game modes as well as the ability to customize your armor. Check out the amusing reveal trailer from Game Grumps below as well as the post on the Yacht Club Games website.
As the trailer shows, the Shovel Knight amiibo will unlock the new co-op mode in Shovel Knight on the Wii U. It will now be possible to dig your way to victory with a friend in tow. If you use the amiibo on your 3DS version of Shovel Knight, you will unlock new challenge stages that haven't been seen before. You will also be able to customize your gear regardless of what console you are playing on. Unfortunately, no release date or even a release window has been revealed.
When asked about the co-op mode, challenge stages, and customization options coming to other consoles, Velasco responded with "Never say never, but there's nothing planned right now." If you want the extra goodies, you'll have to buy the amiibo.
So what do you think? Do you hope that Shovel Knight eventually makes it to the Super Smash Bros 4 character list? Are you going to buy a Shovel Knight amiibo for yourself? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
