Waiting is exhausting. For anyone tracking Hollow Knight: Silksong, the word "waiting" has basically become a personality trait. We are talking about a game that was originally pitched as a humble DLC expansion for the 2017 indie darling, Hollow Knight. It’s been years since that Kickstarter goal spiraled into a full-blown sequel, and the silence from Team Cherry is, frankly, deafening.
Fans are checking Twitter every day for a "shadow drop" that never comes. It’s kinda wild when you think about it. Most studios would be pumping out marketing beats every fiscal quarter, but Team Cherry? They just... work. They are a tiny team based in Adelaide, Australia, consisting primarily of Ari Gibson, William Pellen, and Christopher Larkin on the score. When you have three people making a game that looks this expansive, "soon" is a relative term.
The Actual Truth Behind the Silksong Delays
Let’s get one thing straight: the game isn't canceled. Despite the memes and the clown emojis that dominate every Nintendo Direct chat, Hollow Knight: Silksong is very much a real project. We saw a playable demo at E3 back in 2019. People actually sat down, held controllers, and played through the Moss Grotto. It exists.
So why the hold-up?
Scope creep is the most likely culprit. Honestly, look at the original Hollow Knight. It was massive. It had over 150 enemies, dozens of bosses, and a map that felt like it would never end. Team Cherry has gone on record saying that Silksong is even bigger. Hornet, our new protagonist, is faster than the Knight. She’s taller. She jumps higher. This means the entire world—Pharloom—has to be built on a much larger scale to accommodate her mobility. If you make the character twice as fast, you have to make the hallways twice as long, or the game feels cramped.
Matthew Griffin, who handles PR for the team, gave us a rare update in May 2023. He mentioned that the game was planned for the first half of 2023 but got pushed because "development is still continuing." That’s developer-speak for "we thought we were done, but then we added ten more bosses and a complex crafting system."
How Hornet Changes Everything
If you spent 100 hours mastering the Knight's soul-based healing and nail-slashing, throw half of that out the window. Playing as Hornet in Hollow Knight: Silksong is a different beast entirely.
The Knight was a silent, heavy vessel. Hornet is a conversational, agile hunter.
She uses Silk.
Silk is her mana, her lifeblood, and her ammo. Unlike the Knight, who had to stand still and focus to heal—a move that often led to getting smacked in the face by a stray projectile—Hornet can "Bind" nearly instantly. She wraps her wounds in silk while on the move. It’s faster, but it’s riskier because it uses your entire silk bar.
A New Way to Fight
The combat isn't just about swinging a needle. It’s about tools.
- Pimpillo bombs for area damage.
- Sting Shards that sprout spikes.
- Straight-line dash attacks that traverse half the screen.
In the original game, you found Charms. In Silksong, you’ll likely be spending a lot more time at benches "crafting" and "repairing." It’s a more proactive style of play. You aren't just exploring a dead kingdom; you're ascending a vibrant, living one. The verticality is the point. You aren't descending into the Deepnest; you’re climbing to the Citadel.
Pharloom vs. Hallownest: A Tale of Two Kingdoms
Hallownest was a graveyard. It was beautiful, but it was decaying. Every NPC you met was either losing their mind to the Infection or just waiting for the end. Pharloom feels different. From the footage we’ve seen of the Gilded City and the Greymoor, there’s a sense of industry. There are bells. There are pilgrims. There’s a weird, ritualistic obsession with song and silk that feels much more "active" than the sleepy, somber vibes of the first game.
The environmental storytelling in Hollow Knight: Silksong seems to lean heavily into the "haunted machine" aesthetic. You’ve got these massive clockwork mechanisms and steam-filled vents. It’s steampunk meets bug-fantasy.
Why the Xbox Game Pass Reveal Mattered
Remember the June 2022 Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase? That was the moment everyone lost their minds. Xbox confirmed that Silksong would be a Day One release on Game Pass. More importantly, they claimed everything shown in that presentation would be playable within 12 months.
They lied. Or rather, they were optimistic.
When June 2023 came and went without a release, the community went into a bit of a tailspin. But here’s the nuance: Xbox doesn't set the release date for Team Cherry. Team Cherry sets the release date for Team Cherry. The fact that Microsoft was willing to put it front and center shows just how much weight this "indie" title carries. It’s essentially a triple-A game made by a handful of people.
Debunking the Rumors
You’ve probably seen the "leaks."
"My uncle works at Nintendo and says it’s coming out in February."
"The Steam database updated, it's happening tomorrow!"
"Team Cherry is silent because they're making a movie."
Stop.
Most of these are just people looking for clicks on Reddit or YouTube. The Steam DB updates are usually just backend maintenance—things like adding support for new languages or adjusting regional pricing. It doesn't mean the "Install" button is about to appear.
The most credible information we have is that the game is in the "polishing" phase. In game dev, "polish" can take weeks, or it can take two years. It involves bug testing, balancing boss health, and ensuring that Hornet doesn't clip through a wall when she performs a specific silk-art in a corner. Given Team Cherry's perfectionism, they aren't going to release a "Cyberpunk 2077" style mess. They’ll wait until it’s flawless.
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What to Do While You Wait
It’s easy to get frustrated. You’ve replayed Hollow Knight three times. You’ve done the Pantheon of Hallownest. You’ve even beaten Radiant Absolute Radiance (or tried to, before throwing your controller).
If you need that Metroidvania fix, look elsewhere for a bit. Nine Sols came out recently and scratched that parry-heavy itch. Animal Well offers that sense of cryptic exploration. Crowsworn is looking like a spiritual sibling to Silksong, though that’s also still in development.
The reality is that Hollow Knight: Silksong will arrive when it's ready. Team Cherry doesn't owe us a release date, but the lack of communication is a valid gripe for fans who supported the original Kickstarter. It’s a weird tension. We want them to take their time so the game is good, but we also want to know they're still alive.
Actionable Insights for the Silksong Hopeful
If you want to stay informed without losing your mind, follow these specific steps:
- Watch the Official Channels Only: Follow @TeamCherryGames and @griffinmatta on Twitter. Ignore the "leaker" accounts with 400 followers.
- Check the ESRB/PEGI Ratings: Games usually get rated by content boards 3–6 months before release. When you see an official rating for Silksong pop up in Korea or the US, that is the first real sign that the finish line is in sight.
- Wishlist on Every Platform: Whether it’s Steam, PlayStation, or Switch, get it on your list. You'll get an automated email the second it goes live.
- Manage Expectations: Don't expect a shadow drop at every minor indie showcase. Big titles like this usually get a dedicated trailer or a feature in a major presentation (Nintendo Direct, State of Play, or Xbox Showcase).
The wait for Pharloom is long, but if it's even half as good as the first journey through Hallownest, it’ll be worth every second of silence. Stay sharp, hunters. The needle is still being threaded.