How ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ Fans Turned Waiting for Its Release Into a Game

Since 2021, Araraura has been a watchdog for the game Silksong. He posts daily clips on his YouTube channel, aptly named Daily Silksong News, for viewers seeking the latest on Team Cherry's hotly anticipated Hollow Knight sequel.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been much to report.

A quick scroll of the channel's thumbnails reveals that most feature a fat, red lettered “NO.” A few here and there offer “YES,” or “KINDA,” but the majority of videos play the same: a brief introduction, followed by, “There has been no news to report for Silksong today.” He also keeps a website devoted to answering the question “Is Silksong out yet?” (Since the game's release announcement in August, it has helpfully offered a countdown to its sell date.)

Silksong, launching September 4, is not a big-budget, AAA title. Instead, it's the creation of a three-man team based in Adelaide, Australia, with only two projects to their name. Team Cherry earned the adoration of fans through its award-winning debut, Hollow Knight—a 2017 2D, side-scrolling action-adventure game that's sold more than 15 million copies.

Silksong is a sensation without even having landed, perhaps in part because of how long people have had to wait. “When you starve the fan base for so long, anything you give them will feel monumental,” says Araraura, who only wanted his online username used to protect his identity.

Discussion about the game and the content people make around it has made the community self-sustaining, he adds. “Suddenly you have people who've never done any content creation starting to create videos and art and memes, which in turn inspires more people to join in and do the same.”

Araraura is far from the only invested Silksong fan. His Daily Silksong News Discord has more than 9,200 members. Fans in online communities like Reddit have turned the Silksong news cycle—or lack thereof—into a meta game of jokes, memes, and factions. Streamed game presentations like Nintendo Directs, for example, were often plagued by fans repeatedly typing “Silksong” into the comments, while forums went into an uproar every time there was no news. On Steam, the game, which will be priced at $19.99, is currently the platform's top wish-listed title.

Its predecessor is considered a ruthlessly difficult but charming experience. “Hollow Knight was kind of a miracle game,” says Chelsea Stark, former executive editor and critic at Polygon.

“It has the challenge and skill of Dark Souls games: You have to find your body when you die to get all your stuff back, really challenging, creative bosses.” It also “really nails” the Metroidvania formula, she says, with traversal powers that increase over time. “It's also really distinctive in its art style that makes it welcoming, and all the bugs are so unique,” she says.

It's a deep experience for a game made by such a small team—one that its players are finding new ways to bring to life.