Silksong May Have Competition for Most Anticipated Hollow…

Since before the turn of the decade, Team Cherry's Hollow Knight: Silksong has found itself on the top of many anticipated game lists. With the first installment of Hollow Knight bursting onto the scene with its Metroidvania-styled gameplay and Soulslike-esque difficulty levels in 2017, fans of this trailblazer have been looking forward to the follow-up that unravels princess Hornet's lore ever since. Unfortunately, that wait has stretched on for almost eight years now. While there's an understanding that the title will be released someday, there's a content gap the fan base has strived to fill through mods. That's where Hollow Knight: The Sanctuary comes in, and its recent development update could give the actual Hollow Knight: Silksong sequel a run for its money in terms of release anticipation.

Although the post-launch efforts of Team Cherry were admirable (the team released four DLCs in two years), a lot of time has passed since what many would identify as the peak anticipation period for Silksong's release. In the wake of the growing gap between fan expectations and the reality of the development timeline, several mods sprung up to expand the world of Hallownest even further. These mods have addressed a variety of issues; from adding entirely new areas to altering existing boss fights to even outfitting Hollow Knight with voice acting in different languages. In the case of Hollow Knight: The Sanctuary, its unification of several such elements into a single fan-made DLC-of-sorts has inadvertently made it an unofficial form of competition for Team Cherry.

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By Jake McMichael

Silksong May Have to Battle for Mindshare With The Sanctuary

Hollow Knight: Silksong and The Sanctuary Team's mod have had a few similarities in their development process so far. Like the official crew in Australia, the modders have kept mute about the mod's progress since its announcement in 2021. So much so, in fact, that both the official sequel and the mod have, at some point, been deemed canceled. However, sudden changes to the status quo for Silksong and The Sanctuary mod rang out in April. First, reputable leakers teased in late March that Silksong plans to release later this year.

Then, the game's appearance during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct lended some major credibility to the rumors with its reveal of a 2025 launch window. Similarly, the mod's radio silence finally broke in mid-April. In a tweet alluding to the well-kept nature of the development, one of the leading modders teased a peek at the mod's gameplay; showcasing the Knight in battle with several enemies in what seems to be the new area that the mod is bringing to the Hollow Knight franchise.

Despite the Competition, Silksong and The Sanctuary Could Form a Dynamic Duo

Given the fanfare that followed the announcement, and since the Hollow Knight faithful have had their hopes let down too many times in the wait for Silksong, Hollow Knight: The Sanctuary could well prove to be the more attractive - and realistic - option to look forward to. It's not the first time where Silksong would appear to have a confirmed release window (the Xbox Showcase in 2022 sold similar dreams), so it stands to reason that some fans may not pay attention to any new development rumors until the sequel is physically in front of them.

That being said, even in the eventuality where Silksong does come out in 2025 as teased, Hollow Knight: The Sanctuary's expansions to the base world of Hallownest add too much depth to be relegated to the background. Judging by the enthusiastic response to The Sanctuary Team's call for playtesters, the mod's traction in the community could well rival Silksong, despite fans waiting for its release since the end of the DLC additions in 2018. Still, there's no such thing as too much Hollow Knight (especially given the barren years), and it's entirely plausible that franchise faithful load up both the mod and the sequel when they eventually make their debuts.

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