Although it leaked online ahead of time, no one really believed that Hollow Knight: Silksong would appear at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. To everyone's surprise, it was legit with the hotly anticipated game getting a new trailer early on at the showcase. The big news is that Hollow Knight: Silksong is coming to Xbox Game Pass day one, and that is incredibly exciting. It's no doubt one of the biggest Game Pass reveals as of late.
However, despite the hype behind the new trailer and Game Pass news, there's one thing many noticed about this trailer. The look at combat and Hornet's abilities in Hollow Knight: Silksong was no doubt a gift to fans, but many are still pulling out hairs because there was no attached release date. However, it's not all bad news.
Hollow Knight: Silksong's Release Window
It's worth noting that Hollow Knight: Silksong is the indie equivalent of Elden Ring. Fans had no known release date for the longest time, it has appeared at few if any events, and while little was known, fans were absolutely ravenous for it. Not knowing a release date or window made all of its teases even worse, and as while hype intensified, fans did calm down once Elden Ring's release date was known. It's no stretch of the imagination to assume the same would be true for Hollow Knight: Silksong, and a release window may have been confirmed. It was not outright stated, but heavily implied.
Early in the show, it was confirmed that everything shown would be playable within the next 12 months. In other words, everything should release between now and June 2023. That's not doubt good for games like Starfield and Redfall, but that also gives everything a reliable release window. Hollow Knight: Silksong should release by next June then. It's unlikely to be this fall, as otherwise that would have been announced, but it could be an early 2023 title. That'll have to be enough for now.
Fans should continue to keep expectations in check. While this would be a solid release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong, anything and everything can impact game development. It's not impossible a delay similar to Starfield's impacts Hollow Knight, and it's theoretically possible the latter is an exception to the 12-month rule, but fans can reasonably expect to play it within that time frame.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is in development for PC, Switch, and Xbox consoles.