What a week. I think we were all pretty much expecting Nintendo to surprise us with some great first-party announcements at its Switch 2 Direct, but it was the third-party stuff that really surprised me. There were the expected ports of Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077, but a brand new Bloodborne spiritual successor? It appears to be a battle royale game? And is it a Switch 2 exclusive? No one could have predicted that.
And the big news came in the middle of the sizzle reel. For no more than two seconds, footage of Hollow Knight: Silksong shot into our eyes like it was a space laser trying to melt our brains. And it melted our collective brains. Not only did Silksong exist, which no one expected, but it had a release window. 2025. That magic number. Naturally, the internet took it incredibly casually.
Do you remember the last time a console manufacturer announced a release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong?
I remember exactly when Xbox told us so confidently that every game in its Valentine's Day showcase in 2022 would be released within the next 12 months. Silksong was there. Silksong didn't release within the next 12 months. Nor did it release in 12 months after that. And it did not release in the 12 months after that.
Almost 38 months after that announcement, and 26 months late according to Xbox's trusted release window, we get another brief taste of Silksong. A few seconds are enough to send the community into a mad frenzy, foaming at the mouth and burning fingers as they type posts on social media, convinced that the void they were screaming so passionately into has finally had one of those screams return to them.
To put it simply: I'm not holding a breath on this one at all. I don't think Hollow Knight: Silksong will release in 2025. I don't care what Nintendo says. I don't care if we've seen a short clip or not. I just can't see that happening.
When will Hollow Knight: Silksong release?
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| Credit _Hollow Knight: Silksong |
The Nintendo Switch is saying that Hollow Knight: Silksong will release in 2025, but I'm not going to believe it until I see it. I'm not going to believe it until we have something more concrete than a release window. To be honest, I'd be skeptical about any specific date. Team Cherry could make their own trailer, one with an imminent release date, and I'll only believe it when Steam starts the download.
Maybe I'm just tired of it. I've been through this hassle so many times that I get my hopes up way too much with every gameplay snippet or date reveal. I can't help but think that if there was any confidence that this release window was real, Team Cherry would have made it even bigger. This wouldn't be two seconds in a sizzle reel, it would be a Direct in its own right. Now that Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring have released, Silksong is the most anticipated game in production. Sure Fans are more excited about GTA 6, but Silksong is different.
Silksong also has a dedicated fan base. A loyal fan base. GTA 6 is a game for the masses, and one that anyone with a console will buy regardless of the price, because it has the distinction of being a big game. I'm sure it will be great. But Silksong is a game for gamers. And your favorite game journalist's favorite game. It's a game for people who are passionate about design and mechanics, who seek out interesting indie titles to blow the cobwebs out of the corners of their minds you forgot existed. Its fan base reflects that.
And now when I say that Silksong is the most anticipated game currently in development, I mean it plainly. FromSoftware fans will eagerly await Bloodborne, but the developer has the resources to release it on schedule next year. The anticipation will never reach the euphoric levels of Silksong. That's a feeling that can only be achieved by years of delays and an absence of communication. It's Elden Ring all over again, and we can only hope that Silksong will reach similar heights whenever it finally comes to the public.
I don't know when Hollow Knight: Silksong will be released. No one knows for sure yet. Nintendo certainly doesn't know. Team Cherry might, but even then I am not sure. In the meantime all we can do is a hope. Hopefully it will be released around 2025. And hopefully it will live up to the high expectations. And hopefully we'll still be around to play it when it finally hits our screens.
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