It has been over five years. Let that sink in for a second. In February 2019, Team Cherry dropped a reveal trailer that basically set the internet on fire, promising a full-blown sequel to Hollow Knight featuring Hornet. We all thought we’d be playing it by 2020, maybe 2021 if things got "complicated." Instead, we’ve entered a sort of collective fever dream where every Nintendo Direct or Xbox Showcase becomes a massive exercise in shared disappointment. People joke that Silksong isn't real, that it's a social experiment, or that it's the new Half-Life 3. But the reality is actually much more interesting—and a bit more stressful—than the memes suggest.
Team Cherry is tiny. That’s the crux of it. Ari Gibson and William Pellen (along with coder David Kazi originally, and now primarily supported by Jack Vine) are basically building an empire with a handful of people. When you look at the sheer scale of the original Hollow Knight, it was already a miracle. Silksong is supposed to be bigger. More enemies, more complex movement, a completely different "silk" mechanic instead of soul, and a quest system that replaces the more freeform exploration of the first game. It’s a lot.
The Xbox Announcement That Broke the Timeline
Remember June 2022? That was the moment everything changed for the Silksong community. During the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Microsoft dropped a fresh trailer and explicitly stated that everything shown would be playable within the next twelve months.
That gave us a deadline: June 12, 2023.
For a year, the "clown emoji" memes peaked. We had a date—or at least a window. But as June 2023 approached, the silence from South Australia became deafening. Eventually, Matthew Griffin, who handles marketing and PR for Team Cherry, took to X (formerly Twitter) to break the news: the game was delayed. He mentioned that development was still continuing and that the game had gotten quite big, so they wanted to take the time to make it as good as possible. Honestly, most fans weren't even mad; they were just relieved to hear a human voice confirm the project wasn't canceled.
Why the Scope Creep is Real
If you've played the original game, you know that the DLCs (like Godmaster and Grimm Troupe) were massive. Team Cherry has a habit of "over-delivering." Silksong actually started its life as a DLC Crowdfunded goal.
As they started building Hornet’s world, Pharloom, they realized her movement set was too different for the old map. Hornet is fast. She leaps. She grapples. She speaks! Unlike the silent Knight, Hornet’s personality dictates the world around her. You can't just cram a Ferrari into a go-kart track. They had to build a whole new world from scratch to accommodate her acrobatics. This "scope creep" is likely why we’re still waiting in 2026. They aren't just making a sequel; they’re trying to outdo one of the greatest metroidvanias ever made.
Pharloom vs. Hallownest: What We Actually Know
The setting is Pharloom, a kingdom "haunted by Silk and Song." It’s a vertical climb rather than a descent. This is a huge mechanical shift. In the first game, you were always going deeper, deeper into the dark. Here, Hornet is captured and taken to the bottom, and she has to ascend to the Citadel at the top.
- Healing is faster: Hornet uses silk to bind her wounds almost instantly, but it consumes her entire bar.
- The Tools: Instead of just charms, Hornet uses "Tools" like Pinfangs and Sawbonds that she can craft at benches.
- The Quests: There is a literal "Notice Board" system. This is a massive departure from the cryptic, "stumble-upon-it" storytelling of the first game.
There are over 160 new enemies. To put that in perspective, the original game launched with about 150. We are looking at a game that, on day one, will likely dwarf the final, patched version of Hollow Knight.
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The "Shadow Drop" Obsession
Every time there’s a gaming event, Silksong trends. It doesn't matter if it’s a Sony State of Play or a random indie showcase. The community has developed this theory that Team Cherry will just "shadow drop" the game—releasing it the moment a trailer ends.
While that’s a fun dream, it’s unlikely for a game this big. Even with a tiny team, they have physical releases and Nintendo Switch cartridges to worry about. Distribution takes logistics. Still, the lack of a traditional marketing cycle is what fuels the fire. Most studios spend millions on "hype." Team Cherry just exists, and the hype generates itself.
Dealing With the "Wait" Fatigue
It's okay to be annoyed. You've probably replayed the first game three times by now. You've probably watched every Mossbag lore video twice. The "hollow" feeling in the community is real. But if we look at the history of indie darlings—games like Cuphead or Owlboy—long dev cycles usually result in masterpieces.
The biggest risk isn't that the game will be bad. The risk is that the expectations have become so astronomical that no piece of software could ever satisfy them. We've built Silksong up in our heads for half a decade.
What You Should Actually Do While Waiting
Stop checking the Steam DB every six hours. Seriously.
- Check out the "Silksong-likes": Games like Nine Sols or Animal Well have filled the void for many. Nine Sols especially hits that high-difficulty, tight-parry itch that Hollow Knight fans crave.
- Follow the right people: Don't trust "leaks" from random 4chan threads. Follow @griffinmatta on X and keep an eye on the official Team Cherry blog. If it's not from them, it's probably fake.
- Revisit the original's achievements: Have you actually beaten the Pantheon of Hallownest? Most people complaining about the wait haven't even finished the hardest content in the first game. It’s a great way to sharpen your skills before Hornet arrives.
The game is coming. Rating board entries in Korea and Australia have started popping up over the last year, which is a massive technical sign that a game is nearing a "content complete" state. You don't get a rating until the game is actually playable from start to finish. We are in the home stretch, even if that stretch feels like it's miles long.
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Keep your expectations in check, stay off the more toxic subreddits, and remember that a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad. We've waited this long; we can wait a little longer for a masterpiece.
Actionable Steps for Fans:
- Monitor official ratings board websites (ESRB, PEGI, USK) as they are the first indicators of a finished build.
- Verify any "release date" news against the official Team Cherry blog to avoid falling for clickbait.
- Ensure your platform of choice (Steam, Switch, Xbox Game Pass) is updated, as the game is confirmed for a Day One release on Game Pass.