On September 4th, 2025, the Australian indie game company Team Cherry released their long-awaited sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, 6 years and 7 months after the release of their hit game Hollow Knight.
What is Hollow Knight: Silksong?
A development team consisting of three members shook up the game industry seemingly overnight when a sneak peek of Silksong was shown in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct release video. Years of anticipation and devotion to the franchise from fans and the makers alike have blended for an outcome that surprised the modern gaming industry.
The original game in the series was initially a small project that erupted into fame. The artistic style, original soundtrack, and expansive world allowed players to immerse themselves within the world of Hollow Knight. Collaboration with Nintendo brought the project to the forefront of the gaming community, winning the hearts of gamers all over the world. Hollow Knight grew to over 5 million copies sold and won multiple game awards after its release on February 24, 2017.
Team Cherry announcement of what was originally a DLC to Hollow Knight, featuring new areas and gameplay from Hornet, pleasantly surprised the community. Silksong later grew into a full-fledged sequel once Team Cherry realized the sheer size of the project and fans anticipated a release date sometime in 2021. The community was met with silence as the years progressed, and fans began to lose hope for the release of the sequel. Many moved on from the idea, believing the project had been shelved, while devotees waited for the release the world believed would never come.
Indie Game Takes the Cake
Now the wait is over, and the world was not ready for the impact the Silksong would have. Upon its release, Hollow Knight: Silksong crashed the Steam store, PlayStation store, Nintendo eShop, and Microsoft store. In less than 24 hours, Silksong had surpassed 3 million copies sold on Steam alone. Within the first 30 minutes, the player count on steam reached 100,000 players and by the end of the day, the player count had surpassed 500,000. These numbers are from steam alone, not including the three other major platforms that Silksong released on. Current estimates for Silksong’s copy count sold range from 5.8 to 6.65 million in just the first month, and it is showing no signs of stopping.
Fighting Against the Gaming Industry
To understand the significance of this number, we must look at the history of game releases and the timing of which Silksong was released. Starfield by Bethesda, a multimillion-dollar gaming company (also known as an AAA game developer), reached 3 million copies sold within the first month of release. Resident Evil 2 (2019 remake) by Capcom, sold 4 million copies by the same metric. God of War, created by Sony, one of the largest media and gaming companies to exist, sold over 5 million copies in the first month. These are major titles from the largest names in game development, and yet this Indie game has beaten them all.
The timing of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release also shows the strength that the game has. Other AAA titles released in September included Borderlands 4, Star Wars Outlaws, EA Sports FC26, NBA 2K26, and Silent Hill F. Silksong stood strong in the month of September, some considering it to be the most anticipated game of the month, able to hold its own against the other AAA games. Some developers even rescheduled their releases to not be outshone by Silksong. This impact is unheard of for an Indie game, making history one of Steam’s best launches and the #1 Indie game launch of all time.
Why is Hollow Knight: Silksong Different?
What factors contributed to Silksong’s success? Some argue it is the price only being $19.99 in contrast with other games being double or even triple. A criticism that AAA games and their creators receive is that there is no appreciation for the game, reducing them to cash-grabs. Expensive prices, game passes, pay-to-win, gameplay behind paywalls, and cosmetics being a few of the multiple ways these large companies generate revenue. The game’s popularity despite its affordable price highlights the fact that games can be successful without having to overcharge.
Fans describe Silksong as a true masterpiece, a living and breathing project brought to life by game developers who truly understand their craft and the impact they have. One of the many reasons Team Cherry attributed their long development time was remarkably simple: They were having “too much fun.” From the hand drawn art style of the background to the expansive storyline that makes players feel every emotion the characters do, it is evident that Team Cherry poured their hearts out. Hollow Knight: Silksong’s journey and success has inspired many other Indie platform game companies to pursue their dreams of developing games for all to enjoy in the face of the corporate gaming industry. Silksong embodies all that a video game should be, the chance to experience and enjoy a whole new world.
