The halfway point of 2023 is drawing near along with gaming’s trade show season, but Hollow Knight: Silksong just feels like it’s getting farther away. Despite a promise at 2022’s Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase that every game shown there would be released within a year, Team Cherry saw fit to delay Hollow Knight: Silksong once again for polish. The game has apparently become quite large, so it needs extra time to meet the developer and community’s high-quality standards. It’s bittersweet news, but at least the game sounds like it’s shaping up nicely.
Still, it’s been over four years since Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced, and this delay might push it over five. Fans have been desperate to hear more about it for at least half of that time, and even the abundant details about Hornet’s new Hollow Knight: Silksong abilities, Pharloom’s hazards, and various other NPCs feel distant and hazy. When Hollow Knight: Silksong is ready to finally see the light of day, it can’t just release at the same time as its next trailer and expect half-decade-old hype to propel it to success. The best way to keep spirits high is to copy the efforts of another game from the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 that also needed to be delayed.
Starfield and Hollow Knight: Silksong Are In Similar Positions
While Hollow Knight: Silksong appeared near the beginning of Xbox and Bethesda's June 2022 presentation, Bethesda's own Starfield capped off the show. This is the next major sci-fi RPG from the developers behind Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, and is almost guaranteed to be the largest Xbox exclusive in any year it releases. With The Elder Scrolls 6 nowhere in sight, it falls to Starfield and similar games like The Outer Worlds 2 to keep fans of Fallout and TES occupied in the coming years. Starfield has a lot of momentum in the public eye, but that didn't help it wrap up development any sooner.
Despite claims that every title shown would launch within the next twelve months, Starfield withdrew from the public after Xbox and Bethesda's Games Showcase, re-emerging in early 2023 with a release date later than the promised window. This may have given Hollow Knight: Silksong more leeway to do the same, but regardless, fans will be waiting for both of these games longer than expected. There is one silver lining to Starfield's extended absence, however, and that is a special Starfield Direct immediately following the June 2023 Xbox Games Showcase.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Could Fashion Its Own Starfield Direct
Starfield gaining a presentation solely devoted to itself could be a lifesaver after its delay, catching players up long before launch and informing them of what this new IP is trying to do. Hollow Knight: Silksong should follow in Starfield's footsteps once again by having its own Direct, whether attached to another Xbox show or as a miniature Nintendo Direct. With every Nintendo Indie World showcase without Silksong prompting social media chatter about the game, there might as well be a show that only features the popular action-platformer.
Even without the backing of a major publisher, Team Cherry announcing its own online presentation would make waves, and is the perfect way to prepare everyone for Hollow Knight: Silksong's release. There are no doubt many people who have seen Hollow Knight fans champing at the bit for years and want to see what the fuss is about, and a Hollow Knight: Silksong show would appease both groups. A release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong can hopefully be nailed down soon, when one of gaming's most prolific indie titles can finally see the light of day.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
