Hollow Knight: Silksong's Development Makes the Case for a Complete Launch

More than 2,000 days have passed since the announcement ofHollow Knight: Silksong, and yet the game is still nowhere to be found. For the last few years,Hollow Knightfans have held out hope that developer Team Cherrywill drop a new trailer for the game at one of the many annual gaming presentations. But, with each State of Play, Nintendo Direct, and Xbox Partner Preview that passes by without even a mere mention ofHollow Knight: Silksong, that hope grows slimmer and slimmer.As a result, the lack of development updates on theHollow Knightsequel has reached meme-worthy status. Images ofHollow Knightcharacters in clown makeup are posted all over social media practically every time a showcase takes place.

It’s important to acknowledge that Team Cherry is not a big AAA developer. The studio is owned and operated by a team of around three people, so it’s understandable whyHollow Knight: Silksong’s development is taking longerthan some may have expected, especially considering the game is apparently supposed to be bigger in scope than its predecessor. Even still,Silksonghas been in the works for approximately five years, and that’s a considerably longer production cycle than that of most indie games. Given how long fans have had to wait for its release, Team Cherry should at least compensate their patience by delivering a complete package at launch.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Tag Page Cover Art

Team Cherry Should Ensure that Hollow Knight: Silksong Launches in a Complete State

A Lot of Content was Scrapped from the First Hollow Knight Game During Development

As great as the original game was,a sizable amount of content had been cut fromHollow Knightprior to its release. For instance, at one point in development, a dragonfly enemy was going to be featured in the game, but it was ultimately scrapped. Some of its unused sprites and animations can actually be found withinHollow Knight’s files. Although the dragonfly never made it into the game’s final build, the character is seemingly being used inHollow Knight: Silksonginstead, as it briefly appeared in the reveal trailer for the highly-anticipated sequel.

Dragonfly aside, Team Cherry scrapped a whole host of other features fromHollow Knight, including the abilities to dash backwards, swim through water, and even enter NPCs' dreams. Multiple areas, includingThe Forest of Bones and the Snail Village, and enemies like ants and giant spiders, were cut from the game as well, alongside a plethora of spells, characters, charms, and items. According to the developers at Team Cherry, most of these ideas were abandoned during production either because they didn’t fit with their vision for the game or because they simply ran out of time to implement them.

Hollow Knight Received Some Free DLCs After Its Release

Luckily, Team Cherry releasedfour free post-launch DLCs forHollow Knightthat added some significant content that didn’t make it into the 1.0 version of the acclaimed Metroidvania. These includednew boss fights, questlines, animations, and endings to the game, among other things. The last DLC, titledGodmaster, came out on July 06, 2025, about a year and a half afterHollow Knight’s 2017 release,and that mostly marked the end of the game’s development,since Team Cherry shifted its focus toHollow Knight: Silksongin 2019.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Will Hopefully Launch Without Leaving Great Ideas on the Cutting Room Floor

While it would be great ifSilksongreceived the same amount of post-launch supportas its predecessor did, it would be even better if the game launched in as complete a state as possible. A lot of great ideas in the originalHollow Knightwere left on the cutting room floor, and if implemented properly, could’ve made the game even better. Hopefully, the fact that Team Cherry is taking its time withHollow Knight: Silksong’s development is a sign that the studio wants to cram in as much content into the game as possible without sacrificing its quality.