Team Cherry's partially Kickstarter-funded release of Hollow Knight was a huge success, and it wasn't a surprise when the sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, was confirmed in 2019. Expanding on what was originally planned as DLC for the first game, Hollow Knight: Silksong will focus on a new protagonist, the sprightly Hornet, as they traverse the mysterious kingdom of Pharloom. Like its predecessor, Hollow Knight: Silksong will be a 2D Metroidvania game, but other than some initial information in 2019 when it was announced and some updates in 2022, Team Cherry has been surprisingly quiet.
It isn't necessarily a bad sign when developers go silent on upcoming releases, as it could just mean work is well underway on a new title. Some studios might decide to give as few updates as possible for a game and let the mystery be a part of building the hype, while others prefer to be more transparent about how development is going. There isn't necessarily a right or wrong way, but Hollow Knight: Silksong's absence from almost all major gaming events last year has made some question whether Team Cherry's latest will be ready for a 2023 release.
Hollow Knight: Silksong's Presence In 2022
When it was first revealed back in 2019, Team Cherry treated fans to a trailer and a developer diary video for a behind-the-scenes look at how the game was progressing. Considering that Hornet was meant to be a second playable character for the original Hollow Knight's DLC, fans might have assumed that there would already have been a fair amount of work done on the game already after the first installment's release, so many hoped they wouldn't have long to wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong's launch. With glimpses of characters like Hornet and Steel Assassin Sharpe in action, as well as a playable demo at E3 2019 with a look at two new areas, the first year since Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced provided plenty of information about the game.
Things quietened down significantly after that, with no major developer updates since the end of 2019. Team Cherry might not have had anything too exciting to show, and that might have been the reason for the lack of new information on Hollow Knight: Silksong, but concerns that the release date would be later than fans' thoughts started to surface. A new trailer was finally revealed at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 with details about Hollow Knight: Silksong's Xbox Game Pass release, but other than that, the highly-anticipated indie title was nowhere to be seen at other major gaming events.
How This Bodes For Hollow Knight: Silksong's Release
Without substantial new information or any large updates, it's no surprise some are thinking Hollow Knight: Silksong's proposed 2023 release is looking slightly less likely. While there is still no official release date, Xbox claimed in a tweet that Hollow Knight: Silksong would be launching sometime before mid-June 2023, which doesn't leave Team Cherry with a whole lot of time. Hopefully, marketing for the game will start to ramp up now that the new year has started, with more gameplay footage for fans to pore over and a better look at the undiscovered world of Pharloom.
Players don't need to be necessarily discouraged, but comparing Hollow Knight: Silksong's development to the first Hollow Knight, it's already looking like it's taking much longer than its predecessor, which was revealed in 2014 and launched at the start of 2017. This could be an encouraging sign that Team Cherry is determined to take its time with the sequel and ensure it's a step up from the original game, but it could also mean that a delay is on the horizon for Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is coming soon to PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.