Hollow Knight: Silksong, the highly anticipated sequel to hit 2D Metroidvania Hollow Knight, has become something of a myth in the eyes of fans. Following Hollow Knight: Silksong’s announcement in February 2019, updates have been incredibly sparse. Independent developer Team Cherry has been silent beyond sharing a development update with character reveals soon after the announcement, a playable demo of Hollow Knight: Silksong at E3 2019, and a preview of Silksong’s official soundtrack in December 2019.
Since then there has been no news about its development, which has stirred hopeless excitement around each new press conference or showcase where Hollow Knight: Silksong would hopefully make another appearance. Fans were concerned about its development, but today fans were suddenly given a new look at Hollow Knight: Silksong during the 2022 Xbox/Bethesda Showcase. Still, its appearance raises more questions than it answers.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Drops New Gameplay at the Xbox/Bethesda Showcase
Under the umbrella of Xbox, Hollow Knight: Silksong’s gameplay preceded the announcement that Silksong will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass. This is fantastic news for Xbox fans, who also found out that additional upcoming titles such as Naraka: Bladepoint, Ark 2, and As Dusk Falls will appear on Game Pass.
Hollow Knight: Silksong’s showing launched into gameplay, with quick cuts of actions and unique animations. There is a lot to unpack from this minute of raw gameplay, be it new traversal and combat abilities that were demonstrated or enemy types. Another look at the game’s HUD UI shows the new tools players have at their disposal as Hornet, and Christopher Larkin’s seminal soundtrack accents the montage with the same atmosphere as the original Hollow Knight.
Fans are certainly happy to have seen more from the game; that said, after nearly two years fans were also likely hoping for a release date, or a release window at least. Hollow Knight: Silksong did not mention such details, but it can be expected to launch within the next 12 months based on the theme of the Xbox/Bethesda Showcase.
Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Release Window is Still Ambiguous
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It was said multiple times throughout the Xbox/Bethesda Showcase that the “entire show is focused on games you can play over the next 12 months.” This explicitly states that Diablo 4, Cocoon, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and every other game shown without a release window will effectively launch within a year’s time. Further, an infographic has been provided that shares a list of each game presented, whether it is available on Game Pass or not, and in what year it is expecting to release.
Hollow Knight: Silksong was the second game to appear in today’s showcase, sandwiched between Redfall and High on Life, but for some reason does not appear anywhere on the infographic. This seems to suggest that it will not be launching within a year, despite what has been claimed about the games shown off during this event. However, Xbox’s socials have been arguing the opposite, that it will indeed launch within the year. The discrepancy within the infographic may simply be that Hollow Knight: Silksong does not have a concrete release window to stick to yet. This could imply that either a 2022 or 2023 release window is possible for Hollow Knight: Silksong, meaning a release later this year still on the table.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is in development for PC, Switch, and Xbox consoles.