A new indie game from the maker of Shovel Knight sold half a million copies in less than 14 days. Released on May 29, 2026, Mina the Hollower has quickly become a major success for Yacht Club Games.

With over 3,000 reviews, the 2D pixel adventure has received very positive reviews on Steam. On Metacritic, the game was scored at 92, which is higher than Forza Horizon 6 (91) and 007: First Light (87). The game has also received critical acclaim.

On June 9, 2026, developer Yacht Club Games took to X to announce and celebrate the special occasion. "Half a million Hollowers have descended into Tenebrous Isle, and we’re completely blown away," the post read.

"Thank you for playing, sharing, reviewing, streaming, and believing in our haughty little mouse. The adventure is just getting started!"

The milestone is particularly significant because Yacht Club Games previously described Mina the Hollower as a "make-or-break" release for the studio. The developer had indicated that the game needed to sell around 200,000 copies to remain financially viable.

The wording of the post may indicate future content for the game. It would also make sense, considering Yacht Club Games has made multiple titles from their Shovel Knight IP.

Mina the Hollower had been in development for over 3 years before the game was finally released on May 29, 2026. Its unique pixel-art style was created to mimic the Game Boy Color era of games.

In the game, players take the role of Mina, who must descend into a terrifying world to save a cursed island. The game packs engaging combat with multiple weapons and exciting boss fights.

Fans praise the pixel-art style and atmospheric music, which evoke Game Boy Color nostalgia.

Interestingly, it was never meant to be a commercial release, let alone a major hit.

Indie Game Mina the Hollower Started As a Side Project

Yacht Club Games developer Alec Faulkner came up with Mina the Hollower. The employee was working on the game on the side simply to improve his coding and artistic style.

He wanted to create something that resembled the early Game Boy Color titles. The game was not initially meant to be a full-fledged commercial title.

However, Yacht Club Games noticed the game and took an interest in it. The style could be paired with their main IP, Shovel Knight.

Once the studio decided to commit to it, a Kickstarter campaign was initiated in 2022 to support the game's development. Over 21,000 individuals donated to the game, and the final figure stood at approximately USD$1,239,584.

The indie game was then scheduled for release in October 2025. However, a failed playtesting phase delayed it until May 29, 2026. Now, the indie game is one of the studio's best-sellers.

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Written by

Prit Chauhan

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav