Yacht Club Games' Sean Velasco on Mina the Hollower, Scope Creep, and What's Next
Summary
Trent Custers interviews Yacht Club Games co-founder Sean Velasco about his journey from early NES memories and WayForward license games to creating *Mina the Hollower*. They discuss the seven-year development of Mina, blending Soulsborne mechanics with Game Boy Color aesthetics, and the studio’s focus on polish and narrative. The episode highlights how Yacht Club innovated on genre conventions while maintaining their signature quality.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: DICE Athens and Xsolla
Intro: Sean Velasco and Mina the Hollower
Early gaming memories: NES, rentals, and social play
Education, early indie days, and first published game
WayForward: License games and forming Yacht Club
Post-Shovel Knight expansion and Mina's origins
Development scope, Kickstarter, and Soulsborne influences
Combat design, platforming, and finding the fun
NPC encounters, storytelling, and community content
Studio polish, documentation, and definition of done
Future projects and multi-team challenges
Outro and Poshmark sponsor
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