One of the most highly anticipated indie titles in recent years, Hollow Knight: Silksong, could be on the horizon if all goes according to plan. First announced in 2019 as the sequel to the successful action-adventure platformer Hollow Knight, Hollow Knight: Silksong has seen sparse details revealed since. According to the information given during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase in Summer 2022, the game should release by Summer 2023. However, with time quickly running out to meet this release window and no official release date confirmed, Team Cherry may want to follow in Bethesda's footsteps with its launch plans for the game.
At the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase that was held in June 2022, it was announced that all games shown during the presentation would release within a year. This was great news since it meant fans could look forward to playing the titles shown sooner rather than later, and Silksong made an appearance among the bunch. However, this promise was broken when Bethesda announced that Starfield has been delayed until September 6, 2023, pushing it outside the previously stated release window. Hollow Knight: Silksong could still keep this promise, but it may have to take a different cue from Bethesda.
Bethesda's Release Strategy Could Influence Silksong
With just a few months left for Hollow Knight: Silksong to fulfill the promise made at the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, a release date needs to be announced as soon as possible. However, it's possible Team Cherry could be taking a page out of Bethesda's playbook by planning a shadow drop release for this title. With how much hype is already surrounding this game even with the limited details that have been shared, a shadow drop could be successful much like Bethesda and Tango Gameworks' shadow drop of Hi-Fi Rush earlier this year.
This type of release is risky for any developer, but with how successful Bethesda was with Hi-Fi Rush, it's possible more games could follow the same path, and Hollow Knight: Silksong is a prime candidate. It's also very possible that, even if not shadow-dropped day-and-date from an announcement, Team Cherry could still go with a short timeline from release date announcement to actual release. A surprise trailer with a release date of just a month or two away would be a very welcome treat for fans who have been eagerly waiting this sequel while reducing some of the marketing risk associated with a shadow drop.
Unfortunately, it's also entirely possible Silksong goes the route of another Bethesda game and face a delay that pushes its release outside the release window expressed at the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. The recent silence surrounding Bethesda's Starfield was concerning given a release was supposedly just a few months away, and the delay to September, while disappointing, was not unexpected. Unless more information is revealed for Team Cherry's next title soon, it wouldn't be surprising to see it hit with a delay similar to Starfield.
Regardless of if it's a delay or a shadow drop, news about Hollow Knight: Silksong should be incoming sometime soon with its supposed release window rapidly closing. Ideally, a shadow drop or short timeline until release along with a new trailer would be coming down the pipeline, but fans should brace themselves for a potential delay. Bethesda's handling of Hi-Fi Rush's release laid the foundation for other games to follow, and if Silksong really is going to release by June, it needs a similar release strategy to reignite the hype surrounding it.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.