Hollow Knight: Silksong Has to Play Its Next Cards Extremely Close to the Chest

Hollow Knight: Silksong is easily one of the most anticipated indie games of 2024 and beyond. The title, which serves as a direct sequel to the 2017 Metroidvania gem Hollow Knight, was announced all the way back in February 2019. According to developer Team Cherry, the game was initially meant to be DLC for its predecessor, but its scope grew so large that it was turned into a standalone title instead. Hollow Knight: Silksong is apparently so ambitious, in fact, that the game features over 165 new enemies and more than 100 individual checkpoints laid out across its map. Based on this alone, what Team Cherry is aiming to accomplish with this sequel seems incredibly impressive, especially considering that it’s only being made by a group of three people.

Unfortunately, despite being in development for more than four years, it’s still unclear when exactly fans will be able to get their hands on Silksong. The last proper update Team Cherry provided on the title was in 2022 during the annual Xbox summer showcase. At the time, the studio intended to release the game sometime before June 2023. However, by May of that year, the company announced that Hollow Knight: Silksong would be delayed indefinitely, and that development of the title would still continue. Since then, no other information has been shared about the game. When Hollow Knight: Silksong does finally get a release date, though, Team Cherry should build up the hype and excitement surrounding the Metroidvania by giving it a proper marketing cycle instead of shadowdropping it.

Team Cherry Should Avoid Shadowdropping Hollow Knight: Silksong

Shadowdropping Games Isn’t a Common Practice in the Industry

Like most entertainment products, the majority of big-name games usually get traditional marketing campaigns ahead of their launches, often months in advance. Sometimes, however, developers and publishers will shadowdrop their titles, or release them the same day they’re announced. Even though it’s easier to do than ever before thanks to the advent of digital media, this practice isn’t really common in the gaming industry.

Indeed, only a handful of games have ever been shadowdropped over the years. Perhaps one of the most notable examples of this was Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale FPS Apex Legends, which was announced and released on February 4, 2019. The game was a massive commercial hit, but this could largely be attributed to the fact that it was free-to-play and had the backing of a major AAA studio and publisher.

The majority of shadowdropped games haven’t been as lucky as Apex Legends, however. One title that was simultaneously announced and released on the same day, for instance, was the rhythm-action game Hi-Fi Rush, which was revealed by Microsoft and Bethesda during an Xbox Developer Direct in 2023. While the game was critically acclaimed, it seemingly didn’t do very well commercially, as Hi-Fi Rush‘s developer, Tango Gameworks, was shut down by Microsoft in May 2023. The studio was, however, saved from closure by Korean publisher Krafton months later.

A Hollow Knight: Silksong Shadowdrop Could Do More Harm Than Good

If Team Cherry decides to shadowdrop Hollow Knight: Silksong just like Microsoft did with Hi-Fi Rush, there’s a good chance that the game could underperform financially. The title is a new installment in an established, popular franchise, of course, but it could still fall under the radar if fans aren’t made aware of its release months in advance. Ultimately, as exciting of an idea as it may be, a shadowdrop of the highly anticipated Metroidvania would more likely than not have bad outcomes for the game rather than positive ones. Because of this, it’d probably be best for Team Cherry to give Hollow Knight: Silksong the full marketing treatment in order to avoid a commercially underwhelming release.