'Super Smash Bros.' Shovel Knight spotted, dev Yacht Club Games denies DLC, announces delay, Xbox One version cancellation

Following fan support and hype for the recently-concluded Fighter Ballot for "Super Smash Bros." a new sighting has spurred fans towards speculation. "Shovel Knight" from Yacht Games has recently been sighted as an amiibo in the official Nintendo website.

The image has since been taken down, but according to Nintendo Life, the sighting had suggested that "Shovel Knight" will soon become a possible adition to "Super Smash Bros." Some fans have been quick to spot it, thus starting a discussion in social media. Speculations included "Shovel Knight" being the winner of the Fighter Ballot.

But the developer had been quick to respond and shoot down speculations. According to Yacht Games, it did not want fans to be hyped and become disappointed in the end. For now, the discussion ended with the developer claiming that "Shovel Knight" was mislisted in the Nintendo website.

"Shovel Knight" game has also received a few changes before the upcoming retail release of the critically acclaimed indie game, “Shovel Knight.” Not only will the game face a slight delay, it also seems like some versions of the physical release will be temporarily cancelled, though that could change in the near future.

For now, it seems like retail copies of the game will not be coming to the Xbox One and the PlayStation Vita. According to an update from Yacht Club Games, the developers fought for a physical release on Microsoft’s console, especially with the amount of pre-orders from fans, but they were unsuccessful. According to the developers, they know that fans are disappointed, but they will continue working on the game's Xbox One release, though it’s reportedly in limbo for now.

As for the Vita version of the game, it looks like the retail release for the handheld won’t be making the holiday season, though it doesn’t appear to be cancelled like the Xbox One version. Pocket Gamer notes that it’s still possible, but it might take longer than some gamers would like. In the meantime, fans of handhelds will be happy to know that the 3DS version of the game is still coming.

Another change for the title is the price, which was increased from US$19.99 (AU$27.16) to US$24.99 (AU$33.95). Retailers have to follow certain rules to showcase video games, and the developers didn’t want “Shovel Knight” to end up in a bargain bin, so the price was slightly increased. In return, however, all versions of the physical copy will now have the complete soundtrack of the game.

One other change was the release date of "Shovel Knight," which faces a minor delay. The physical copy was originally going to come out this month, but it will now be coming to North America on Nov. 3 and Europe on Oct. 31. Prior to the announcement, many expected the game to come out sometime in the middle of the month.

Despite the price increase, “Shovel Knight” will still be much cheaper than most games in retail and is still one of the best-reviewed games out there. The title will also have tons of free updates and downloadable content, which should please a lot of fans.

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