Interviews

Interview: Celia Schilling, Marketing Director at Yacht Club Games, digs into Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon's upcoming Netflix Games release

Interview: Celia Schilling, Marketing Director at Yacht Club Games, digs into Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon's upcoming Netflix Games release

Recently, Yacht Club Games announced that Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is making its way to iOS and Android via Netflix games. The puzzle-action adventure game first launched in December 2021 for PC, Switch and PlayStation 4. At the time, there was a strong demand from the community for the Pocket Dungeon to come to mobile, and now it is!

We recently had a chance to speak with Celia Schilling about the upcoming mobile launch. Together, we discussed why the team chose to launch the game on a subscription service and what we can expect from the game's DLC. We also asked if other Shovel Knight games will come to mobile in the future. We couldn't resist.

Can you introduce yourself and your role on Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon for our readers, please?

Sure! My name is Celia Schilling. I am the Marketing Director at Yacht Club Games. I have my hand in everything public-facing for the company and our games! I also handle Licensing, so any merch you see on shelves or online is something I’ve worked on.

For those unfamiliar with Pocket Dungeon, can you explain what kind of game it is?

Of course! Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is our critically acclaimed puzzle-action adventure with a dungeon-crawling twist. Its unique gameplay is extremely fun and surprisingly addictive. In-game you’ll shovel through scads of foes while making humongous combos, procure powerful equipment, and battle bosses both familiar and new - all while trying to escape the mysterious Pocket Dungeon. You can also play as your favourite Shovel Knight series heroes and villains. Each character has their own unique moves for you to master. It’s an all-around amazing game aaaand it has a charming story. Go play it. It’s fun as all heck.

How did the deal with Netflix Games come about?

We wanted to bring Pocket Dungeon to mobile, and Netflix was excited to help us make it a reality. We high-fived (did paperwork) and got to work!

In the trailer for the Netflix announcement, there are a lot of comments from people asking for a mobile port in the past. How has the reaction been from those folks since the reveal?

Oh, man…I had a lot of fun making that trailer. “FINALLY” has been the main reaction we’ve been getting! It’s been generally pretty positive overall.

You have previously released Shovel Knight Dig on Apple Arcade, another subscription-based service. Would you have considered bringing Shovel Knight games to mobile without them? And what do they bring to the table that makes porting games more viable/appealing?

We want to have our games on as many platforms as possible as long as it makes sense for us and our fans. As for what subscription services bring to the table, they bring a lot! They are an awesome opportunity that allows us to bring our games to new audiences in a unique way. It’s an absolute pleasure working with subscription services.

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The Netflix version of the game will arrive with the newly announced Puzzler's Pack DLC. What can players expect from the new content?

Yup! The Netflix version of the game will include the Puzzler’s Pack DLC at launch. Fans can expect a TON of new content. The GIGANTIC DLC Pack includes new playable characters, formidable "Quandary Challenges," neat new Relics, robust run modifiers, and expansive new areas to explore! It feels more like a whole new game rather than just DLC.

The DLC is the first of three you have planned for Pocket Dungeon. Will the next two be released on mobile at the same time as other platforms? And is there anything you can tell us about them yet? Or must it remain a closely guarded secret for now?

We try our best to have our launches simultaneous so fans of all platforms can enjoy it on release date. If anything changes, we’ll be sure to make a lot of noise about it. As for upcoming packs, I’ll have to keep it a secret for now but there’s a ton of cool stuff on the horizon.

There are some classic indie games available on Netflix Games. Is there a chance we could see some of the other Shovel Knight games available there in future?

Whoa, that would be awesome. Though I’d love to see it happen, it wouldn’t be an easy feat...Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove was designed with PC and console in mind. A lot of time and effort would be needed to rebuild the 5 campaigns to make sure that the gameplay would be as seamless as possible. Though it’s definitely not currently in the pipeline, I can’t say it’s completely off the table. We’ll see what the future holds for our favourite blue burrower.