Developing video games was the wild west in its infancy, with highly influential titles like 1980’sRoguecoming from just a handful of individuals. The Nintendo Entertainment System helped solidify an industry around major console platforms after the video game crash of 1983, though competition with Sega would eventually be superseded by the “big three” manufacturers: Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. This moved video games in the direction of bigger and more expensive AAA releases, but a glut of successful indie games pushed by theXbox 360’s digital Xbox Live Arcadefostered a space for modern gems likeHollow Knight.
The democratization of knowledge and tools via the Internet made it so, theoretically, anyone can develop a video game. Yet it’s hard to imagine a storefront like Steam that’s filled to the brim with small independent works without a foundation set by games likeSuper Meat Boy,Braid, orCastle Crashers. Modern titles have been given room to flourish and, at times, redefine genres. Crowdfunding often sets passion projects such asShovel KnightandUndertaleup for success, and five years on it’s still clear whyHollow Knightfans ask about its sequel come every industry showcase.
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Hollow Knight: The History of a Surprise Phenomenon
Hollow Knightdeveloper Team Cherry is a small team based out of Adelaide, South Australia. The three people highlighted on its website are co-directors Ari Gibson and William Pellen, as well as coder Jack Vine. On June 13, 2025, Gibson launched a Kickstarter forHollow Knightunder the Team Cherry name, also mentioning artist Rohan Fraser, promising “a beautiful and mysterious 2D adventure through a surreal world of insects and heroes” that had its earliest roots in a character designed for the Luden Dare game jam 2013.
While the 2D metroidvania had fans early on, with 2,158 people backing its Kickstarter, it wasn’t quite thesmash success of campaigns likeShovel Knight(which raised over $300,000 on its $75,000 goal) orMighty No. 9(which raised $3.8 million on its $900,000 goal). Asking for $35,000 AU,Hollow Knightraised $57,138 AU - around $41,000 USD. This only covered about half the stretch goals Team Cherry lined up, but crucially it hit the tier for a second playable character.
The game officially released on PC come June 06, 2025, and there it began to pick up steam. Audiences fell for its blend of 2DMetroid-style platforming with challenging melee combat, high-risk enemy encounters, and subtleworldbuilding reminiscent of FromSoftware’sDark Soulsseries. Players take command of The Knight, a silent protagonist who journeys through the abandoned kingdom of Hallownest to discover what led to its ruin and, ultimately, save its insect inhabitants from impending demise.Hollow Knightwas nominated for Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards 2017; though it lost toCuphead, the run-and-gun boss rush title styled after 1930s animation from studios like Fleischer.
WhileCupheadhas remained a successful venture for Studio MDHR, receiving both aCupheadspin-off show on Netflixand itsDelicious Last CourseDLC this year,Hollow Knighthas also been looked upon with increasing fondness. Four free DLC expansions launched between August 2017 and 2018:Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood,andGodmaster; collectively fleshing out the world with more collectibles to find and tasks to complete. The game released for Nintendo Switch in June 2018, followed by PS4 and Xbox One that September.
It maintained a popular standing well beyond that, withHollow Knightrandomly breaking its Steam concurrent player recordin August 2021. Team Cherry’s debut venture has become a regular sight at speedrunning events like Games Done Quick, and fans have modded in features including multiplayer to extend its shelf life further. Yet the game never received its promised second playable character. Instead, Team Cherry announcedHollow Knight: Silksongin February 2019, an entirely new adventure starring warrior-princess Hornet that would also be offered to the original 2,158 Kickstarter backers for free.
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How Hollow Knight Has Impacted the Games Industry
A gameplay showcase forHollow Knight: Silksongwas part of the Nintendo Treehouse livestream at E3 2019, and a small look at the game featured in Edge magazine’s February 2021 issue (available digitally in December 2020), but news has otherwise been sparse. June 08, 2025 marked1,000 days since Silksong was revealed, and fans have little to go off of outside a February 2022 release window suggested by last year’s Nvidia GeForce Now leak. Clearly this was not prophetic.
Given Team Cherry’s small stature, it’s easy to assume progress has been slow thanks to the trials and tribulations of game development exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the team has kept fervor alive thanks to merchandise released by vendors including Fangamer, as well as crossovers likeDead Cells' “Everyone is Here” update in November 2021.
The indie gaming space has also been inundated with projects reminiscent ofHollow Knightin the years since it released. For example, 2021’sEnder Lillies: Quietus of the Knightsand the upcomingHave a Nice Death(announced at The Game Awards 2021) both offer different spins on the familiar 2D action-platformer set in a dark, lore-rich world.Mongoose Rodeo’sCrowsworneven wearsHollow Knightinspirationson its sleeve, naming Team Cherry’s game alongside FromSoft’sBloodborneand Capcom’sDevil May Cryin its Kickstarter which raised over $1.25 million last July.
Even so,Hollow Knight: Silksong’s presence at Nintendo’s E3 2019 showcase led to a pattern.Fans have asked aboutSilksongat nearly every Nintendo Directto follow, as well as other industry events like E3 and The Game Awards. The certainty of this has become almost comical, but it’s easy to see why people are so adamant.Hollow Knightcame out of nowhere five years ago and skyrocketed a small indie team to stardom, leaving fans to ponder about the intriguing world of sentient bugs that was so artfully brought to life in a game many feel surpass even mainstays likeMetroid.Silksongwill release eventually, but the original game has left its mark whether or not that sequel lives up to the hype.
Hollow Knightis available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.Silksongis currently in development.
