As fans go through an extending wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong, facing delay after delay amidst near radio silence, one particular meme has again resurfaced within the game's online communities thanks to its now long-standing, frustrating history. The undeniable success and popularity of Hollow Knight left fans begging for more from Team Cherry, so when news broke in 2019 that a sequel was in the works there was a significant buzz among players about when it would release and what it would bring. However, several years later and this sequel is no closer to an official launch causing much disappointment among Hollow Knight fans.
In the absence of news from Team Cherry but with the momentum of fans' hype for a Hollow Knight sequel, this disappointment inevitably began to lead users to self-deprecating memes to deal with the growing frustration. As a result, the Hollow Knight clown makeup meme was born, encapsulating the self-sustaining cycle of fans getting their hopes up when each new gaming event or showcase rolls around only to have those hopes dashed when there's of course no news. But the longer this meme remains active, the deeper player unrest grows, putting pressure on Hollow Knight: Silksong before it's even officially launched.
When, Where, and Why Hollow Knight's Clown Makeup Meme Began
Because Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced by Team Cherry on Twitter in early 2019 with Nintendo revealing its first trailer at E3 that same year, fans speculated that each new Nintendo Direct would bring new information. But when no updates came even from any of Nintendo's indie showcases, overeager players lapsed into a cycle of misplaced anticipation, empty-handed dismay, and unfounded certainty that next time would be different. However, like many indie games, Hollow Knight: Silksong already faced a long development timescale that was worsened by COVID-19, leaving Team Cherry with an uphill struggle between its own quiet delays and its fans' self-inflicted disappointment.
The Hollow Knight clown makeup meme was eventually created from a year's worth of looping hype and disappointment, where the first potential association of clowns to Hollow Knight: Silksong news was made by user mossbag69 on Twitter in 2020. Though the meme has since developed its own "official" format with the Knight sitting on a bench in a clown nose and wig, its origin and viral infamy came from self-aware players realizing they were getting their own hopes up only to be inevitably let down, essentially makes clowns of themselves. But while it may have started as a self-deprecating joke among fans, its sustained use is putting a negative light on Team Cherry.
Why Hollow Knight's Clown Makeup Meme Has Resurfaced Again
It wouldn't be until 2022 when major updates finally emerged about Hollow Knight: Silksong when a new trailer was released during Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. After fans had spent so long waiting to hear more details about the sequel, there was a growing sense that this finally meant progress was being made and that Hollow Knight: Silksong's release date would soon be confirmed. However, when Team Cherry and Hollow Knight: Silksong fell quiet again following this reveal, the belief that the end was in sight was promptly replaced by that all-too-familiar disappointment, and naturally the clown makeup meme returned.
On this occasion, the disappointment was no longer self-inflicted, as now Team Cherry had actively engaged fans with a Hollow Knight: Silksong teaser only to then go intentionally silent. Just as much as the Bayonetta 3 news anchor meme had become a running gag and criticism of its own repeated delays, Hollow Knight's clown makeup meme skewers both player anticipation and the game's evasiveness. Signs of this came when Hollow Knight's Matthew Griffin announced on Twitter that Team Cherry had aimed for an early 2023 release date but delayed this to an unconfirmed future date, prompting fans to once more don their clown wigs and red noses.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is in development for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.