The indie gaming scene has become much more prevalent over the years, with games like Balatro And Animal well garnering significant praise and several Game Awards nominations and wins. The future of the small part of the video game industry looks bright, but some fans of one franchise continue to be disappointed, because five years after the announcement of a sequel, a specific title has still remained silent on the radio.

Hollow Knight is one of the most iconic indie games ever created. Its stellar gameplay, dark atmosphere, and enriching story deliver a phenomenal experience to everyone who plays it. On Valentine’s Day 2019, the game’s developers revealed a trailer for the sequel for Nintendo Switch, making fans eager to see how the journey continues. However, more than five years later, the project hasn’t made much noise since, with the sole exception of an Xbox Game Pass announcement for the title two years ago. With another Game Awards passed and no new gaming news shared, fans began to lose hope that Hollow Knight: Song of Silk will never be released.

A Brief History of an Iconic Indie Classic

Hollow Knight is a great weird experience

Platform/action-adventure games are one of the most common genres in indie gaming, with classics like Knight with shovel And Cutting head carving out a place in gaming history as phenomenal titles that make the most of the gaming medium. Both of these games received DLC, but it is extremely unlikely that they will get sequels, as both titles took several years to develop initially and their developers have stated that they want to move on to their next project. However, another indie game falls into a different category, like fans were waiting for the sequel Hollow Knight for several years.

Hollow Knight was released on February 24, 2017 on PC and the game was later released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2018. Inspired by retro games like Metroid And Mega man, Hollow Knight began life as a Kickstarter, with Team Cherry earning A$57,000 ($36,000) to back the title. In addition to being a Kickstarter, the game is inspired by two Game Jam titles developed by two creators, Ari Gibson and William Pellen. Although these two titles were not well received by critics, their artistic style inspired the visuals of Hollow Knight.

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Upon his release, Hollow Knight was highly praised by critics for its challenging yet enjoyable gameplay, superb soundtrack, stunning visuals, and intriguing characters. The title subsequently received four DLC expansions, each adding to the game in new and intriguing ways. By the time all support for the game was released, it was among the most complete indie games ever made, and fans were excited to see what the folks at Team Cherry would bring next.

Luckily for fans, it didn’t look like they’d have to wait long, as on February 14, 2019, a trailer for a movie Hollow Knight following, Hollow Knight: Song of Silk was released on YouTube by the official Nintendo of America channel. Although the game was not revealed with a release date, fans expected that the game would take no more than two years to release, as the original title’s DLC expansions had recently completed development.

However, it turned out that this was not the case and Hollow Knight: Song of Silk has become something of a legendary game for the industry, with fans waiting for news of the title at every major video game show over the past five years since its initial announcement. Some fans were expecting title news during The Game Awards 2024, but despite numerous announcements of amazing sequels to the series (e.g. The Witcher 4 and a Eyes following), Hollow Knight: Song of Silk has remained dormant, leaving frustrated fans wondering what happened to the highly anticipated project.

Frustration continues to mount for Hollow Knight: Silksong fans

A classic example of a project revealed too early

Project cancellations and delays are not uncommon in the video game industry, and some of the most anticipated projects end up being delayed by months or even years. The much awaited Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course the expansion was delayed for two years before finally being released, and the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake has been delayed indefinitely, leading fans to wonder if the project will ever be completed.

Star Wars has also been subject to game cancellations throughout its history, with one of its most intriguing titles, Star Wars: 1313a game based on bounty hunters, having been canceled years ago after Disney closed LucasArts. Although unfortunate, these situations have become common for large projects. Fans are unlikely to be annoyed by a small delay to the project if the final product still ends up being phenomenal, but that wiggle room diminishes as the release date gets further away from the project’s initial reveal.

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Hollow Knight: Song of Silk is perhaps the most anticipated title in gaming with no release dateexcept Grand Theft Auto VIwhich does not have a confirmed release date — although Rockstar Games has confirmed that the title will release in 2025. The most frustrating part of the numerous delays and radio silence from Team Cherry is how poorly the trailer The opening of the sequel is astonishing. watched when it was announced in 2019.

The trailer featured fully completed gameplay, new enemies, new music, a new main character design, and an entirely new world compared to the first title. However, the game was less close to being finished than many hoped, as that trailer and a subsequent Xbox Game Pass trailer for the trailer were all players have received about the title since.

With The Game Awards 2024 coming back to back and many amazing new indie titles announced (e.g. Labyrinth of Shadows And Ninja Gaiden: Enraged), fans are furious that Team Cherry hasn’t introduced anything new for the title announced over five years ago. In the meantime, several game shows took place, and none of them presented more information about Hollow Knight’s journey through a strange insect world. At this point, fans are right to wonder if the game will ever release, and if it ever does, will it be worth the wait?

Hollow Knight: Song of Silk

Systems

Franchise

Hollow Knight

Platform(s)

PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC, macOS, Linux

Developer(s)

Cherry Team

Editor(s)

Cherry Team

Engine

Unit

ESRB

e

Develop