Wings of Wax

Hollow Knight: Silksong is an upcoming Metroidvania video game developed by Australian independent developer Team Cherry scheduled to be released in 2025. The sequel to Hollow Knight, it is being developed for Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Silksong was originally conceived as downloadable content for Hollow Knight, but the scope of the project grew enough that Team Cherry announced it as a separate sequel in February 2019.

Gameplay

Hollow Knight: Silksong gameplay is set to be similar to its predecessor Hollow Knight, featuring 2D platforming and combat though unlike the first game the player controls Hornet instead of "the knight". Some changes are made from the original, such as the player character moving with a more acrobatic flair or applying instant self-healing. Side-quests will be part of the game, and include a journal to keep track of them. This includes a quest system divided into four categories titled Gather, Wayfarer, Hunt, and Grand Hunt, which are provided by the non-player characters in the game or by quest boards.

Team Cherry stated Silksong to be very large, featuring at least 165 new enemies and over 100 different checkpoints ("benches") throughout the game world, compared to 51 in Hollow Knight.

Premise

Hornet is captured and taken to the unknown kingdom of Pharloom, which is said to be "haunted by Silk and Song", and must climb to the top to reach a shining citadel, while also learning ancient secrets tied to her nature and past.

Development

Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced on 14 February 2019 in a trailer and with a developer diary video sharing more information. Since the announcement, per GameSpot, "updates have been sporadic and infrequent".

Eventually, due to the increased scope of the project, Team Cherry decided to expand the downloadable content to a full sequel.

The developers released an update in March 2019, sharing descriptions and images of characters who will appear in Silksong. They thanked the game's fans for supporting them regarding the announcement of the sequel.

In December 2019, Team Cherry released a preview of the soundtrack, composed by Christopher Larkin, as well as an update on the total number of enemies developed (Which was 165 at the time), with a focus on a trio, described as "members of a scholarly suite."

An article in PC Gamer from February 2022 showcased Team Cherry co-director William Pellen stating that the game was still in development despite the lack of updates since December 2019 and said that more details would be revealed as the game got closer to its release.

A new trailer was revealed at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022, revealing that Silksong would be released on Xbox Game Pass at launch, with the game being available through the service for PC and Xbox Series X/S. While no release date was announced, the Xbox Twitter account stated in a tweet that it would be available within the next twelve months, implying they expected a release by 12 June 2023. In September 2022, Sony confirmed in a separate tweet that the game would also come to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Team Cherry marketing and publishing representative Matthew Griffin declared on 10 May 2023 that the game was delayed, stating "We had planned to release in the first half of 2023, but development is still continuing."

On 14 February 2024, which marked five years since the game's announcement, Griffin posted on Discord that Team Cherry was "...still hard at work on the game."

In January 2025, in response to rumors online, Griffin said that the game was still in active development, and was still planned for release.

On 2 April 2025, during the Nintendo Direct on the new Nintendo Switch 2 system, Silksong was presented in a sizzle reel for a 2025 release date.

On 1 May 2025, IGN announced that Silksong will appear at ACMI's upcoming Game Worlds showcase, which will open on September 18th. The exhibit is confirmed to include sprites from the game, information on boss fights, and the ability to play Silksong itself. They also shared a partial spritesheet of Hornet.

Reception

In May 2022, Hollow Knight: Silksong won a "Most Anticipated Game" award from Unity. In response, Team Cherry thanked the community for their support and said "It can't be too much longer, surely!" Silksong won the same award again in 2024, this time without any official acknowledgment. News surrounding the game has been tracked by Daily Silksong News every single day for at least 4 years.