Recently, Shovel Knight had a fifth anniversary celebration, and during that same week it was announced the now-iconic character would be enjoying the launch of his very own board game called Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels.
The Kickstarter campaign for this game was launched… and subsequently cancelled. But it’s just a minor hiccup, and let’s face it, we’ve come to expect delays and the like when it comes to Shovel Knight (regardless of format, it seems).
Designer Panda Cult Games wants fans of the character to know that the Kickstarter will return in mid-August, however, so there’s no need to panic:
“We would like everyone to know that we have decided to cancel the current campaign for Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels…to dig in and relaunch the campaign mid August!
We have heard our backers loud and clear about their love of Shovel Knight as well as what their expectations are, and that is immensely important to us. At Panda Cult Games, we loved playing the Shovel Knight video game, so much so that we reached out about making a board game out of it! We also absolutely adore the boardgame we have put together. As a small team, it’s supremely important to us to care about what we do and what we are working on, as well as treating it with the proper respect it deserves. We believe this campaign can be better, and we have plans to improve it and open it up to a much wider audience with a more cost-friendly version to boot! We have also seen your questions, comments, and concerns. We want this campaign to be the very best it can be, because that is what Shovel Knight deserves.”
According to their statement, here are the changes we’ll see to the relaunched campaign:
“One of the most common comments was about our base pledge price, and similar ideas on how to adjust it. Our original idea was for the board game to have beautiful models based on the incredible and lively art that carries so much of that Shovel Knight charm in it! That being said, models do introduce a certain price point issue, so we decided to create a brand new pledge level that will include a version of Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels with standees instead of models! This will dramatically reduce the barrier of entry from $70 to $30-$35. So we will officially have two pledge levels:
Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels 2D, priced at $30-$35. This version will trade out models for standees, reducing the costs but still giving you all the fun of the boardgame! Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels 3D, priced at the original $70 level. This version will contain highly detailed pre-assembled models in colored plastic.
This is the first change. Additionally, we will have more videos available on the campaign from multiple groups sharing previews and their thoughts on the game! We will also have more time to spread the word about our campaign farther and wider than we did before.”
Panda Cult Games is confident that this is the right move, based on fan feedback. If you weren’t aware of the upcoming board game, or if you want a reminder of what you could throw money at after the campaign relaunch, watch the trailer!
