Hollow Knight: Silksong Has to Play Its Next Cards Close to Chest

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Hollow Knight: Silksong Has to Play Its Next Cards Close to Chest

Key Takeaways

  • Hollow Knight: Silksong is highly anticipated, with over 165 enemies and 100 checkpoints in the game’s map.
  • Team Cherry’s sequel, initially DLC for Hollow Knight, has been in development for over 4 years.
  • Avoiding shadowdropping Silksong is crucial to give it a proper marketing cycle for success.

As an avid gamer with over two decades of gaming experience under my belt, I can confidently say that the anticipation for Hollow Knight: Silksong has reached fever pitch among the gaming community. With its massive scope and ambitious goals, Team Cherry’s sequel is shaping up to be a true masterpiece.

Hollow Knight: Silksong, set for release in 2024 and beyond, is undeniably one of the most eagerly awaited indie games. This sequel to the 2017 Metroidvania hit, Hollow Knight, was first announced in February 2019. Originally intended as DLC for its predecessor, the project grew so expansive that it became a standalone game instead. The scale of Hollow Knight: Silksong is evident from the fact that it boasts over 165 new adversaries and more than 100 separate save points scattered across its map. Given this, the ambition of Team Cherry in creating this sequel is truly remarkable, particularly when you consider that they are just a team of three people.

It’s been over four years since the development of Silksong began, but a specific release date for this highly anticipated game is yet to be determined. The last substantial update from Team Cherry on the project came in 2022 during the annual Xbox summer showcase, where they initially aimed to launch it before June 2023. However, by May of that year, the studio announced an indefinite delay for Hollow Knight: Silksong, stating that development would continue. Since then, no further details about the game have been disclosed. When Hollow Knight: Silksong is eventually released, Team Cherry could generate more excitement by implementing a formal marketing strategy instead of releasing it unexpectedly.

Team Cherry Should Avoid Shadowdropping Hollow Knight: Silksong

Shadowdropping Games Isn’t a Common Practice in the Industry

Generally speaking, well-known video games typically receive traditional marketing strategies prior to their release, which can be several months ahead. Occasionally, developers and publishers may choose to ‘surprise drop’ their games, meaning they release them on the same day as the announcement. Despite digital media making this practice more feasible than ever, it is not a common occurrence in the gaming world.

Over the years, very few games have been secretly launched, often referred to as “shadowdropped”. One such notable instance is the battle royale FPS game “Apex Legends”, developed by Respawn Entertainment. This game was both announced and released on February 4, 2019. Its commercial success can be largely attributed to being a free-to-play game, backed by a major AAA studio and publisher.

Most shadowdrop games haven’t fared as well as Apex Legends, for example. One such game, Hi-Fi Rush, was introduced and launched on the same day in 2023 by Microsoft and Bethesda during an Xbox Developer Direct. Although this rhythm-action game received positive critical reviews, it didn’t perform commercially as expected, leading to Tango Gameworks, its developer, being closed down by Microsoft in May 2023. Fortunately, Krafton, a Korean publisher, purchased and saved the studio from closure months later.

A Hollow Knight: Silksong Shadowdrop Could Do More Harm Than Good

If Team Cherry decides to shadowdrop Hollow Knight: Silksong just like Microsoft did with Hi-Fi Rush, there’s a good chance that the game could underperform financially. The title is a new installment in an established, popular franchise, of course, but it could still fall under the radar if fans aren’t made aware of its release months in advance. Ultimately, as exciting of an idea as it may be, a shadowdrop of the highly anticipated Metroidvania would more likely than not have bad outcomes for the game rather than positive ones. Because of this, it’d probably be best for Team Cherry to give Hollow Knight: Silksong the full marketing treatment in order to avoid a commercially underwhelming release.

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2024-08-24 00:43