After the immense success of its predecessor, the hype for Hollow Knight: Silksong is palpable. It makes sense, given how transformative for the Metroidvania genre Hollow Knight has been, inspiring many clones and often being used as the benchmark for other Metroidvania titles. However, the hype train has been stalling for years now after the long, painful wait for Silksong. Having been announced back in 2019, it has been six years of waiting, with Silksong beginning as a DLC that expanded into its own game, but there is some hope that the sixth year will be the last.

Although Team Cherry, the Australian development team behind the Hollow Knight IP, had remained largely silent on Silksong for a long time, Nintendo put out a release window for the game during its Nintendo Direct stream for the Switch 2. According to Nintendo, Silksong will release some time in 2025, and without a specific date it is likely to be later in the year, but this isn't the first time Silksong has had a release window. Having been burned before, it might not be time to put one-hundred trust into this release window, even if it ends up being true.

Silksong's 2025 Release Window Might Be Too Optimistic

Very Little Has Been Shown Of The Game

In a montage showing several third-party games, new Hollow Knight: Silksong footage was shown for a brief time in the Nintendo Direct Switch 2 stream, and some on-screen graphics confirmed that Silksong would release in 2025. This new footage is the first fans have had in seemingly years, causing a meltdown in the community, with Daily Silksong News and Mossbag finally having something to talk about, but there is a concern about how little was shown. Silksong is a big deal considering how massive Hollow Knight still is, and should have had its own trailer if footage was available.

While Hollow Knight takes place in Hallownest, Silksong will take place in Pharloom, a separate kingdom.

Still, having actual Silksong news and new footage is a big deal for a community that has been living on scraps for years. The Nintendo Europe X doubled down on the 2025 release window, ensuring that everyone knows that window is real, and it is assumed that Team Cherry signed off on this window announcement. But this isn't the first release window Silksong has been given, and it might not be the first time fans get burned. I, for one, will not believe Silksong is released until it ends up in my Steam library after six years of waiting.

Silksong Had A Prior Release Window With Xbox Game

It Was Supposed To Release In 2023

Back in 2022, players were treated to a one-minute trailer announcing that Silksong would come to Xbox Game on day one, with a release window coming out soon after for early 2023. The trailer was wonderful, showing players everything they wanted to see, and the 2023 release window seemed reasonable with four years of development, considering that the first Hollow Knight took just under three years. Instead, the game was delayed without a new release window, and players didn't receive much news until the Nintendo Direct.

The Nintendo Direct caused controversy regarding the price of the games, with Mario Kart World breaking the $70 standard at $79.99.

Although this 2025 release window seems more concrete, with Nintendo pushing it hard, it is difficult for me to believe it until Silksong is in my library, and I'm actually playing the game. This isn't the first window Silksong fans have had, and it could lead to another delay, breaking hearts all over again. Still, Silksong could release this year, given how much the window is being pushed and how Matthew Griffin (Team Cherry's head of marketing) reposted the release date confirmation, but I'm not quite ready to believe it, especially with Team Cherry's track record of delays and silence.

There's So Much Work To Do For Such A Small Team

The Scope Of The Game Has Been An Issue

Silksong sounds like it is going to be massive, considering that Hollow Knight didn't have everything Team Cherry wanted to add before it ran out of money and was forced to release the game. Silksong could be the biggest Metroidvania to date, which would be amazing considering how small Team Cherry is. The team is made up of three developers, and the amount of work each developer has to do is mind-boggling to think about. If there is another delay, it would be reasonable from a logistical point of view.

Still, with Matthew Griffin and Nintendo pushing the 2025 release window, this is probably the closest the community has gotten to Hollow Knight: Silksong and there is a reason to get excited. The problem lies with the potential that history will repeat itself with another delay and break everyone's hearts again. I'm not quite ready to hang my hopes on this window until it is narrowed down to a specific date, having had Silksong on my wishlist since 2019. I do hope 2025 is Silksong's year, but I'm not confident it will be yet.

Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube, Nintendo of Europe/X