Hollow Knight: Silksong's Release Could End Up Being A Double-Edged Sword

Summary Hollow Knight: Silksong's release may make it hard for other indie games to pick up traction.

An uncertain release date challenges indie titles to avoid Silksong's launch window.

Team Cherry isn't at fault for Silksong hype affecting other games, which could prove a problem for Silksong itself.

The release of Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of the most anticipated events in gaming right now, but there's one big reason why it could come with a cost. Announced in 2019, Silksong has been on the receiving end of some serious delays, and a lack of frequent updates makes it hard to tell when it might actually arrive. Developer Team Cherry has popped in just frequently enough to make it clear that progress on the game has been steadily ticking along all this time, but a release date remains up in the air.

The anticipation for Hollow Knight: Silksong is easy to understand, as the first game was an incredible Metroidvania experience that resonated with a wide audience. Silksong promises to deliver everything that the first did and more, and what's been shown of the game so far displays the same gorgeous art and fluid combat. Whenever the game does come out, it's guaranteed an immediate audience, a luxury of certainty that the original Hollow Knight definitely didn't have.

Related 10 Metroidvanias To Play While Waiting For Hollow Knight: Silksong There is still no specific release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong, but there are lots of fantastic Metroidvania’s to enjoy in the meantime.

Silksong's Release Could Hurt Other Indie Games

Competing Against A Juggernaut Can Be Disastrous

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Hollow Knight: Silksong's release has the problem that any game would want to have — it might just be too big. That could come with some ramifications for Silksong itself, but where it's really going to have an impact is on any other indie games releasing in the same window. Building up momentum can be difficult even for excellent indie titles thanks to a lack of marketing resources and IP familiarity, and having all the attention go elsewhere at the time of launch can permanently damage a game's ability to attract a playerbase.

Although it's not a discussion of Hollow Knight: Silksong, the concern is more or less summed up in a tweet from Tom Vian, one of the two developers behind the recent indie game Crow Country. The tweet is all in good humor, but it lightly points out the possible misfortune of Hades 2 dropping in early access the same week as Crow Country's release.

Hades 2 might be the most direct comparison to Hollow Knight: Silksong in the business — an anticipated sequel to an enormous indie breakout hit that was known to be in the works without having a confirmed release date. As Vian noted, Crow Country did have some solid momentum behind it, and that in combination with a strong critical reception might well have helped it hold its own against Hades 2 (and Animal Well, which had the marketing advantage of a popular YouTuber's involvement). A game going in with less traction, however, would definitely be fighting uphill.

Related Animal Well Review: "One of the Most Impressive Metroidvania Titles of Recent Years" Animal Well is a fantastic 2D puzzle platformer, using the Metroidvania structure to create a mysterious world full of secrets to discover.

There's No Perfect Strategy For Other Indie Games

Considering the lack of any indicated date for Hollow Knight: Silksong, indie titles wanting to steer clear of its launch window are essentially just playing a guessing game right now. The slate of games for the latter half of 2024 is generally up in the air right now, and locking in dates is an act that requires some courage in general. Modern digital platforms have given indie titles a more powerful platform than ever before, but saturation and the difficult of keeping the Internet's attention make for a fickle and risky market.

Even in advance of its release, Hollow Knight: Silksong's hype is already having a weird effect on the marketing of many games. Checking the chat during any kind of indie game showcase has revealed floods of comments focused on Silksong for years now, often in a manner dismissive of anything else being shown. This isn't necessarily deleterious, as it does bring more people in to watch the events, but it's unfortunate that many of the more vocal viewers don't seem willing to give other indie titles much of a chance.

Related Day Of The Devs Interview: Crafting A "Sundance Of Indie Games" Jon Gibson and Amanda White from iam8bit discuss the long history of Day of the Devs, the curation process, and working with Geoff Keighley.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Hype Isn't Team Cherry's Fault

The Silksong Studio Could Also Be Affected By Anticipation

Team Cherry certainly isn't to blame for any impact that the game's anticipation or its eventual release could have on other titles, as its only real crime is making an excellent game. The studio hasn't encouraged any unrealistic expectations for when the game will launch or egged on the fanbase, remaining largely quiet about development aside from some basic announcements about platforms and delays. Considering the studio is made up of only three people, it's not surprising that all of its attention is presumably going toward the game development itself.

Although he's not officially part of Team Cherry, Christopher Larkin, the composer, is a fourth key figure involved in Silksong's development.

As mentioned earlier, there's also the possibility that Hollow Knight: Silksong's hype could cause problems for Team Cherry as well. Living up to or exceeding the first Hollow Knight is a tall order, and although the developers certainly seem equipped to do it, any creative endeavor can end up encountering hurdles that result in significant compromise. If Silksong falls anywhere short of the astronomically high expectations, it could end up on the receiving end of a disproportionate amount of criticism.

Related 10 Best Indie Games Of 2023 Many great games were released in 2023, making it more difficult for smaller devs, yet numerous incredible indie games won over the gaming community.

At the end of the day, none of this should be a competition, and it's not at all uncommon to see indie developers championing the games of other studios. It's just an unfortunate fact that only a small selection of titles pick up the kind of traction that Hollow Knight did, and a lot of the larger audience that gets pulled in doesn't put much effort into exploring everything else that's out there. Hollow Knight: Silksong's release should be an exciting one, but it might be best to spend some time checking out whatever launches alongside it as well.

Source: Tom Vian/Twitter