Summary
- Game development is a non-linear process with cycles of iteration and setbacks, which can be risky when announcing a title early on.
- Hollow Knight: Silksong, the highly anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight, has experienced notable setbacks in its development and has been in limbo for most of 2023.
- The development time for Silksong has surpassed that of the original Hollow Knight, and there is no indication that the game will be released before February 202
- The delays are largely due to the pandemic and the game's size compared to the original.
Because game development is a non-linear process that requires cycles of iteration and occasional setbacks it can sometimes be dangerous to announce a title early on in the conceptualization phase. As the development cycles for these titles wear on and gamers have to wait longer and longer for them, the initial hype generation their announcement helped to curate starts to dwindle, backfiring on the initial intent of the developer. Hollow Knight: Silksong is still one of the most hotly-anticipated games, and early next year it will reach an important milestone in its development. February 14, 2024, will mark 5 years since the initial announcement of Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Nearly two years to the date after the release and widespread critical acclaim of Hollow Knight, Team Cherry released a developer update and video that contained the initial reveal and announcement of the sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong on February 14, 2019. Originally conceived as an additional DLC expansion for Hollow Knight, the project quickly ballooned into a full-fledged follow-up to the much-loved modern Metroidvania and quickly became many players' most anticipated indie game. Since that initial announcement, the title has had several notable setbacks in its development and has spent most of 2023 in limbo as developer Team Cherry has gone largely radio silent.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Has Already Eclipsed The Original's Development Cycle
Both Hollow Knight games are Kickstarter success stories from a team that is essentially just two people, but the development time on Silksong has already greatly surpassed that of the original. After its initial announcement and Kickstarter campaign in 2014, Hollow Knight first released in 2017. Team Cherry would continue to support the title with a plethora of free DLC content until the title's arrival on Nintendo Switch, which coincided with the final DLC expansion arriving for the game. It was only a few months after the title's arrival on Switch that Silksong would get its announcement in February 2019.
At nearly 5 years of concurrent development, Silksong has far surpassed the original Hollow Knight's 3 years of gestation before release. And, without any concrete update from developer Team Cherry, there's not much indication to suggest that the title will be released before February 2024 and hit the 5-year mark since its announcement. Team Cherry itself has acknowledged that players can expect Silksong to be a true sequel and feature a slew of new mechanics and a sizable experience, but it's important to note that many of the title's delays are as much due to the COVID-19 pandemic as they are to the game's size compared to the original.
Why February 14, 2024 Might Be a Day To Watch for Hollow Knight: Silksong Fans
2023 has been one of the most packed years in recent gaming history, with a major landmark release arriving nearly every month and sometimes multiple in a single week. Last week alone saw the release of two of the year's most anticipated games in a single day. With that kind of competition, it's entirely possible that Team Cherry opted to spend the year polishing Hollow Knight: Silksong to a level of quality synonymous with the original or even surpassing it, lining up the game for a 2024 release and giving it room to breathe and be more successful than it might have been going up against the likes of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
If that scenario pans out to be true, Hollow Knight: Silksong will still be head-to-head with the likes of other greatly anticipated indie titles such as Hades 2, which recently confirmed an early access period in 2024. 5 years is a non-trivial milestone for a game's development, even for an indie title that's the work of a small team like Hollow Knight: Silksong. That said, if some extra time in the oven is what it takes for Team Cherry to deliver an experience on par with or better than the original Hollow Knight, Silksong can take all that it needs.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- September 4, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
- Team Cherry
- Publisher(s)
- Team Cherry
- Engine
- Unity
- Prequel(s)
- Hollow Knight
- Franchise
- Hollow Knight
WHERE TO PLAY
Become the Princess Knight
As the lethal hunter Hornet, adventure through a kingdom ruled by silk and song! Captured and taken to this unfamiliar world, prepare to battle mighty foes and solve ancient mysteries as you ascend on a deadly pilgrimage to the kingdom’s peak.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is the epic sequel to Hollow Knight, the award winning action-adventure. Journey to all-new lands, discover new powers, battle vast hordes of bugs and beasts and uncover secrets tied to your nature and your past.
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
