Long development cycles can be a blessing or a curse for any given video game. Sometimes long-awaited sequels wind up being just what fans are looking for, as was the case with 2021 Game of the Year contender Psychonauts 2. Other times the wait ends in disappointment for many fans, as was the case with games like Shenmue 3. FromSoftware's Elden Ring had a lot of hype built in-part by a largely silent development, but managed to exceed expectations. Now Hollow Knight: Silksong has a similar challenge.
The original Hollow Knight is one of the most acclaimed indie games to release in the last decade. Team Cherry elevated the metroidvania style popularized by its namesakes Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night using tough combat, resource accumulation, and deep lore inspired by FromSoftware's Souls titles. This, combined with an affecting art style, made Hollow Knight an experience worth playing even after five years. That's only made the wait for Silksong more agonizing to many, but after Elden Ring there's hope that Team Cherry sees similar success.
Announcement to Release
Elden Ring and Hollow Knight: Silksong are comparable in that their announcements came around the same time. FromSoftware announced Elden Ring at E3 2019, and then there was silence until a trailer in June 2021 revealed its (later-delayed) early 2022 release date. Hollow Knight was funded via Kickstarter in 2014 and released in 2017, with multiple free expansions to follow. One of the stretch goals hit during that crowdfunding campaign was a second playable character, but the scope had grown so big that Team Cherry instead announced Silksong in February 2019 - with Kickstarter backers receiving this new title for free.
Unlike Elden Ring, Silksong had a few early showcases at events like E3 2019 before going off the grid; FromSoft's title revealing its launch date, suffering a month-long delay, and releasing to widespread acclaim in the time since. Team Cherry's silence has led to numerous fans hounding Nintendo social media accounts whenever a new Direct is announced, particularly its Indie World Showcases. Even fellow indie developers have poked fun at the game's extended wait, such as Haiku the Robot throwing a Silksong Easter egg into its graveyard.
That being said, the small Australian developer's lack of updates is understandable. Massive AAA blockbusters such as Elden Ring or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 have huge teams and still see delays, but the original Hollow Knight was made by little more than three people. Unpredictable events like the global COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on everyone in- and outside the video game industry, so it's safe to assume issues compounded atop the struggle of having to follow up such an acclaimed project.
Elden Ring Offers Hope for Silksong
Now that Elden Ring has been available for a few months, many have finished their adventures in The Lands Between and are asking whether FromSoftware is planning to release DLC. Even if it doesn't, Elden Ring left an indelible mark on the industry, overshadowing concurrent releases like Horizon Forbidden West as the likely front-runner in 2022 awards contention. Just a year ago, many felt it was dead in the water - perhaps subject to the same writing concerns as A Song of Ice and Fire given George R. R. Martin's help developing Elden Ring's fantasy world.
If that title can have such a relatively quick change in public perception, Hollow Knight: Silksong can (and undoubtedly will) have its own turn in the spotlight sometime soon. Another hopeful note for the upcoming release is just how successful Elden Ring became, taking the already infamous works of FromSoftware and creating a more mainstream package. If Silksong is able to do the same and one-up its predecessor, or even just match the original game's quality, Team Cherry will have made it worth the wait.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is in development for PC and Switch.