After seven months since we've last seen the game, a playtester on Hollow Knight: Silksong took to the game's Discord to assure fans of its progress after a disappointingly Silksong-free Nintendo Direct this week.
Long-anticipated videogames and squirrely fan communities obsessing over every detail or lack thereof go together like adorable bugmen and ill-starred underground kingdoms (remember in 2021 when Elden Ring fans were losing their minds because there was no new information about it for more than a year?), and the Hollow Knight community is showing signs of crossing a similar psychic threshold after the sequel did not make an appearance in Nintendo's showcase.
Lots of memes about "copium" and "hopium," a few "Here lies Squidward's hopes and dreams" type posts, and a prodigious volume of messages were the word of the day—seriously it was more like a top Twitch streamer's live chat in there than any Discord server I've ever been on. Speaking as an outside observer, it looked like Philly after the Superbowl.
In response to users proverbially climbing up lampposts and chewing on the walls, someone working on the game actually said something definitive about it—Silksong's first official sign of life since getting shown off in Microsoft and Bethesda's showcase last summer.
"I feel for you all, I really want this game to release ASAP and the testers are working hard to get it out to you, as well as [Team Cherry] of course," One of the game's playtesters, Graig, assured fans (credit to Daily Silksong News on Twitter for the spot). "It will come and it is a glorious game worth the wait. Love you all."
In all fairness to the Hollow Knight Discord, the mood was light and Graig was largely playing along, providing playful and clearly ludicrous fake release dates before this assurance. I'd largely characterize the chat as more "lively" than "upset," but there was one guy in there with a Lando Calrissian profile picture who joked about setting fire to Team Cherry HQ. Kind of a nerf herder thing to say if I'm being honest. There's nothing particularly illuminating about Graig's statement, but it's still a nice proof-of-life for the long-awaited Metroidvania. Silksong is real and there is a small, secret cabal that is playing it right now.
It is interesting how Nintendo Directs have become a default source of hype and speculation for Silksong fans—in mirrors of the livestreams with an open chat, I always notice a ton of people spamming the topic. It has to be a residual excitement from the game's reveal and 20-minute gameplay demonstration as a part of Nintendo's E3 2019 presence, though the only looks of the game we've gotten since have come courtesy of Edge Magazine and Microsoft. As PC Gamer senior editor Wes Fenlon put it, "Every big press conference is a new opportunity for disappointment."
Silksong still has no official release date, and your best bet remains facing an uncertain wait with grace and dignity—not joking about burning down the studio. Maybe try Tunic while you wait, that game's got some nice Hollow Knight vibes. Otherwise you can check out our guide to everything we know about Hollow Knight: Silksong.
