Issue #37: Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years? – January/February 2019
Added 2018-12-17 12:29:04 +0000 UTCYacht Club Games really dug themselves into a hole.
At this point five years ago, we put Shovel Knight on the cover of NF Magazine's Issue #7. At that time, it was entering the home stretch of development – just a few months away from its launch, scheduled for March 31, 2014. It ended up slipping a bit past that date, but the delay wasn't too severe – Shovel Knight debuted on 3DS, Wii U and PC on June 26 that year.
That year, 2014, was also supposed to see the arrival of all of the game's promised expansion content: three extra single-player campaigns that swapped in three of the villainous Order of No Quarter knights as the playable character, plus a multiplayer battle mode that made all of those knights playable. Go back and read NF #7 if you don't believe me! That really was the timetable half a decade ago. That was the plan.
But, as it turns out, Yacht Club Games had dug themselves in way too deep. It's not a bad thing! Not at all. But in the process of developing all that extra add-on content – which was unlocked piece by piece as stretch goals in the game's 2013 Kickstarter fundraising campaign, mind you – the Yacht Clubbers decided to make each and every promised piece into an event all its own. The three extra single-player campaigns became fully realized standalone games: Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment and the upcoming King of Cards. The planned multiplayer battle mode, too, grew into a full game on its own as well: the upcoming Shovel Knight Showdown.
Yes, "upcoming." Still. It's five years later, the calendar on the wall is about to say 2019, and Yacht Club's just now putting the finishing touches on 2013's promised extras for their 2014 original game. You're probably familiar with the question "Where do you see yourself in five years?", commonly posed to young professionals at the beginning of their careers. If I had a time machine, I'd go back and ask that very question to Yacht Club for the interview we ran in NF #7, because there's surely no way any member of the team could have predicted they'd still be working on the same game over half a decade later!
Again, it's not a bad thing! Somehow, it's worked. Focusing exclusively on this one game, expanding its content, expanding its audience and expanding its reach over such a long period of time, they've built it up into an incredible success story that's now sold multiple millions of copies across every modern hardware platform. It's such an unusual approach for an indie studio, but it's been incredible to see happen! And so now, exactly five years after we first featured the Blue Burrower on our cover, we're bringing him back. NF #37, like NF #7 before it, is brought to you by the Ace of Spades himself. Please look forward to reading it as we chronicle his last five years in even more detail within its pages, then look forward to – finally – his grand finale!
Right, Yacht Club? You're seriously almost done this time, aren't you?
Digital NF subscribers, keep an eye on your email for the delivery of the PDF edition of this issue at some point within the next 24 hours or so.
Print subscribers, the physical copies are in production now and will be mailed this Friday, December 21. Being in transit over Christmas Day might mean they show up a little bit later than usual, but most subscribers should still expect to see their copies delivered by early January. And then we'll really be kicking off another new year full of exciting Switch games on the horizon!
Thanks as always for your support, NF fans! We're just about to hit our sixth anniversary, and we couldn't have gotten this far without all of you!
~ Lucas M. Thomas
Comments
I just messaged you guys via Twitter about not receiving mine as well.
2019-03-07 21:59:13 +0000 UTCI subscribed back in September and have yet to receive an issue.
Dean Cannon
2019-03-06 00:33:11 +0000 UTCI was wondering where my issue was when my parents ordered it in december. Its now march and i still havent got it. At least i know I wasn’t the only one missing an issue
2019-03-03 19:08:00 +0000 UTCMessaged twice about not receiving this issue. Received no response.
2019-02-25 02:59:50 +0000 UTCI wrote a comment earlier about not receiving my Shovel Knight issue. This was only my second issue of this magazine, the first one worked flawlessly. I'm not upset or surprised there was an issue with the delivery of this one, but I'm utterly shocked at the complete lack of response from the people who create this magazine. I've reached out to them to rectify the situation on Twitter, Facebook, comments here, and a direct message here. I guess I'm left with no other option than cancelling my Patreon. I know it won't matter to them financially in the long run, but I'm incredibly dissapointed it has come to this. I will be sure to let anyone and everyone who is interested know that though this product is fantastic there is no point in paying for something you'll never receive, especially considering you'll never hear back from the people who took your money in the first place.
2019-02-18 15:45:19 +0000 UTCdid you check your billing history if you actually payed for it because unless you suscribed to the patreon before january i dont think you will be guetting it since i suscribed mid january and i havent been charged any money yet
2019-02-10 17:07:40 +0000 UTCI know you guys are a small team but please let us know what's going on. This post was made Dec 17, 2018 and it's now Feb 10 and there's been no word on why some of us haven't received our issue. I'm going to have to cancel - which I really don't want to do.
Anthony C
2019-02-10 13:45:16 +0000 UTCI have not received my digital copy as well.
LaLtheGaL
2019-02-09 18:23:42 +0000 UTCI just came on here to check to make sure I was still subscribed since I wondered if I was missing an issue. Glad I’m not the only one wondering what’s up.
2019-02-03 14:10:53 +0000 UTCI never got the email for the download link.
Anthony C
2019-02-01 20:58:07 +0000 UTCDid anyone hear back from the NF team? I both messaged and emailed about my copies
2019-01-27 19:29:36 +0000 UTCHey, just like to update this, i got my issue about 3 days ago. thanks guys!
Justin7885
2019-01-26 18:48:00 +0000 UTCreally hoping Nintendo gives NF more interesting games to write about soon. Smash was expansive but didn’t really give anything ‘new’. At least we have some sweet Nindies in the mean time but a new innovative first party gem is long over due since ARMS. Hopefully something clever is done with animal crossing !
2019-01-25 02:55:13 +0000 UTCHonestly, I’m kind of surprised to see Shovel Knight on the cover ... The Switch generation has some great indies but also so much regurgitation. NSMB U Deluxe, Bowser’s inside story and the teaser for the next issue of NF is Skyward Sword or the Metroid Prime Trilogy. *Sigh*
2019-01-25 02:49:29 +0000 UTCHi Lucas, I haven't received the November issue yet. I sent you a DM in patreon.
2019-01-25 01:42:13 +0000 UTCYeah its been a month since it was mailed and I have nothing
Aurora Borealis
2019-01-23 22:22:34 +0000 UTCStill waiting for it too :/
2019-01-23 16:00:02 +0000 UTCBased on the previous comments I’m guessing shipping was an ‘issue’ on this issue. Any news on that?
2019-01-23 03:18:55 +0000 UTCI just pre-ordered the physical copy of shovel Knight thanks to this issue I can't wait to play it
2019-01-21 04:28:08 +0000 UTCwell i hope you got the international tier cause if you didnt you are most likely not gonna get them
2019-01-21 03:55:38 +0000 UTCdid you take the right tier pledge because where it can be delivered depends on which tier you payed for
2019-01-21 03:54:12 +0000 UTCI haven't received my two copies either.
2019-01-21 00:51:39 +0000 UTCHey Guys, sorry to bother you with this but my copy still hasn't shown up. I live out in good old New Zealand so just wondering if you think it still might be on it's way or that something may have happened to it.
2019-01-20 06:07:12 +0000 UTCI have yet to receive a physical copy of this. Getting kinda nervous o
2019-01-19 22:22:50 +0000 UTCJ
2019-01-19 22:21:11 +0000 UTCSame, still waiting for it, I'm getting nervous haha
2019-01-19 12:49:31 +0000 UTC^ same. Where's my issue? :^[
Justin7885
2019-01-18 22:54:57 +0000 UTCI'm having a similar issue. I did change addresses between the last magazine and this one, but all my mail is being forwarded and I've also regularly checked my previous addresses mail. I've not yet received the copy, and if they were mailed the week of December that is surely an issue.
2019-01-17 22:39:09 +0000 UTCI have paid for both the digital and physical version of this issue, but I have yet to receive the physical version in the mail. I have been a subscriber since 2016 and this is my first problem with the physical issues. Who can I contact about this?
2019-01-17 02:02:17 +0000 UTCI paid for the last 2 issues and I have not received them. I tried reaching out on Twitter with no response. Who can I contact about this?
2019-01-15 20:17:26 +0000 UTCI'm definitely amped about the amiibo's as well!
2019-01-14 20:03:19 +0000 UTCI was recently charged for two copies, so do I receive the Shovel Knight issue? When should I expect them?
2019-01-12 18:31:43 +0000 UTCThose amiibo are going to be dope
2019-01-09 11:55:45 +0000 UTCI have the same question as those above me. I subbed today and am curious which issue and when you will take out the funds. Thanks!
2019-01-07 03:36:51 +0000 UTCHello I just subbed for the first time and I was wondering if I would get this issue because it is this month and next months issue or if had to wait till next please let me know thanks!
2019-01-06 08:49:33 +0000 UTCHi! I just subscribed today and was wondering if you will still send this issue to me. I want to get this current issue as well! Please find my account and ship it to me! I'd love to read it, thanks!
2019-01-05 06:13:29 +0000 UTCI hardly call being banned for violating the rules against hate speech "thought policing," but I suppose this isn't the place to get into it.
Tinsin
2019-01-01 21:59:22 +0000 UTCIs there an alternate way to subscribe to this journal? Patreon has banned Sargon of Akkad for censorship reasons. I really want this magazine but I feel I will need to cancel my subscription if Patreon is going to be a thought police.
2019-01-01 18:19:34 +0000 UTCHuge kudos to Yacht Club for delivering on every single promise content-wise that they made (even if the time-table shifted). That's a far cry better management than many other projects over the years, and as a result they've earned all my trust in whatever their next project is.
Bennett Billard
2018-12-17 22:45:25 +0000 UTC
