Team Cherry`s eagerly awaited sequel to Hollow Knight, Hollow Knight: Silksong, is finally set for release on September 4. This comes after years of anticipation and community concerns that the game might never materialize. However, Silksong is a reality – we`ve played it, and its impending launch is so significant that several other game studios have actually postponed their own projects to avoid conflicting release dates. But what exactly caused Silksong`s prolonged development?
Ari Gibson and William Pellen, the co-founders of Team Cherry, clarified that Silksong was never stuck in “development hell.” The immense success of the original 2017 game, which sold over 15 million copies, allowed the Australian developers the luxury of crafting the follow-up at their own pace.
“It was never stuck or anything,” Gibson elaborated to Bloomberg. “It was always progressing. It`s just the case that we`re a small team, and games take a lot of time. There wasn`t any big controversial moment behind it.”
Initially, Silksong was conceived as an expansion for Hollow Knight. However, its scope expanded considerably, leading to its transformation into a full, standalone title. This evolution played a key role in its extended development timeline.
Regarding Team Cherry`s prolonged silence and lack of frequent development updates for fans, Gibson explained that the team opted against constant communication because, “All we could really say is, `We`re still working on it.`”
Pellen further added, “Instead of popping up and bugging people for the sake of it, it felt like our actual responsibility was just to work on the game.”
While Silksong was at one point officially slated for release before June 2023, Pellen admitted that the team “genuinely believed” they would meet that deadline. Naturally, that did not come to pass.
The development period could have been even longer. Gibson highlighted that Team Cherry employs a development structure designed for rapid results, where ideas translate into tangible game elements “almost immediately.” While this method was enjoyable, it also presented unique challenges.
“I remember at some point I just had to stop sketching,” Gibson recalled. “Because I went, `Everything I`m drawing here has to end up in the game. That`s a cool idea, that`s in. That`s a cool idea, that`s in.` You realize, `If I don`t stop drawing, this is going to take 15 years to finish.`”
Silksong is scheduled for a September 4 release on consoles and PC, and it will be available on Game Pass from launch day.
After a hands-on experience with Silksong at Gamescom this week, Steve Watts wrote, “Hollow Knight: Silksong appears to be exactly what we all should have expected: a strong, well-designed, visually lovely game that carries forward the aesthetic and design philosophies of the original with thoughtful, if not earth-shattering, updates.”