Long development cycles and repeated delays can be bad news for developers, especially when a significant window of time has elapsed between a game’s initial announcement and its eventual release. First revealed in 2019 as a sequel to its award-winning predecessor,Hollow Knight: Silksongremains perhaps the most-anticipated indie game thanks to the success and reception ofHollow Knight. Since the initial announcement, the small three-man operation at Team Cherry has been diligently working on the game’s development, with piecemeal updates arriving every so often. Recently, the title crossed a significant milestone, and not one people might imagine. It has now been more than 1600 days (1610, to be precise) sinceHollow Knight: Silksong’s reveal.
While long development cycles are more commonly accepted in the AAA space due to the massive scale and budget of those titles, it’s just as likely for development of an indie title to drag on for long periods of time thanks to the smaller size of many indie studios. Team Cherry itself is a very small team, and many incredible indie releases are the work of a solo developer. Still, with many fans eagerlyanticipating the release ofHollow Knight: Silksongand a lack of any concrete updates regarding its development, the long window of time between the announcement and ongoing development ofSilksongraises some concerns.
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The 1600-Day Mark Puts Hollow Knight: Silksong In a League of Its Own
After its initial conception in 2013, Team Cherry launched an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the development ofthe originalHollow Knightin 2014. The campaign successfully reached funding in just under a month, and the development and release of the first game would end up taking just under three years. Interestingly, due to the nature of Kickstarter, the developer posted regular updates regarding the game’s progress during the development cycle - something it has not been held to duringSilksong’s development as an independently financed release.
Even thoughSilksongwas first revealed in 2019, initial conceptualization and development began the year prior. Team Cherry has been candid regarding the fact that, as development continued, so too did thesize and scale ofSilksonggrow to the point where it went from being a large DLC expansion to a full-blownHollow Knightsequel. Many solo developers report that it can take anywhere from just a few months to 3 years to develop a title, but with the time between its announcement and continued development now being over 4 years,Silksongis set to claim the crown for one of the longest development cycles for an indie game.
When Fans Might Expect to See Hollow Knight: Silksong Release
While 1600 days doesn’t putHollow Knight: Silksonganywhere close to some of the longest development cycles in the gaming industry, it definitely raises the question of when fans can expect the game to see the light of day. The title’s protracted development, along with a lack of any updates regarding its progress, has led to the negative perception from some fans that the title will remain stuck in development hell. However, there is a silver lining regardingHollow Knight: Silksong’s long development, which is that the title just might live up to the almost impossible expectations set by fans.
After receiving an extended gameplay trailer as part of the Xbox Games Showcase in 2022, the title was conspicuously absent from all the expected summer developer showcases that have supplanted E3.Silksong’s absence from the2023 Xbox Games Showcaseand confirmed delay earlier this year may indicate the title releasing in either late 2023 or early 2024. Developers strategically delay games often so that their release doesn’t coincide with a marquis title, and 2023 has proven to be a banner year for major releases. With any hope,Silksong’s recent milestone is just an indication of the title lying low until it has a chance to claim its time in the spotlight without distraction.
Hollow Knight: Silksongis in development for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
