After years of anticipation, speculation, and meme-worthy delays, Hollow Knight: Silksong has officially launched—and the gaming world is in chaos. Within minutes of its release, digital storefronts across all major platforms experienced outages, server issues, and crashes due to an overwhelming surge in demand. From Steam and PlayStation Network to Xbox Live and Nintendo’s eShop, players rushed to download the long-awaited sequel, causing what many are calling one of the most explosive indie game releases of the decade.
Developed by the small but revered Australian team at Team Cherry, Silksong follows in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed 2017 hit Hollow Knight. The sequel, which started as a planned DLC expansion, grew into a full-fledged game with a new protagonist, new world, and entirely new mechanics—though still rooted in the challenging, atmospheric Metroidvania formula that made the original a beloved classic.
The new protagonist, Hornet, brings a faster, more agile style of gameplay compared to the Knight from the original game. With over 100 new enemies, expanded traversal abilities, a massive new kingdom to explore, and a completely original soundtrack, Silksong delivers on its promise to elevate everything fans loved about the first game while introducing fresh depth and polish.
But it wasn’t just the gameplay that had people talking—it was the sheer scale of the launch response. The sudden influx of players attempting to purchase or preload the game caused brief outages on Steam, which reported record-breaking traffic shortly after release. On consoles, similar issues plagued Xbox Live and the PlayStation Store, while Nintendo’s eShop temporarily went down altogether. For a title developed by a team of fewer than ten people, the reaction was nothing short of staggering.
Social media quickly lit up with a mix of jubilation and frustration as players shared memes, screenshots, and their struggles to download the game. The long wait for Silksong—filled with rumors, fake release dates, and annual letdowns—only fueled the release-day frenzy. Some fans joked that the game had reached “mythical” status, with its launch marking the end of one of gaming’s most prolonged and passionate waiting games.
Initial impressions have been overwhelmingly positive. Early players praise the fluidity of Hornet’s movement, the haunting beauty of the hand-drawn world, and the refined challenge that balances accessibility with brutal difficulty. Critics, content creators, and fans alike have begun hailing Silksong as a rare sequel that not only lives up to its predecessor but may even surpass it.
Team Cherry, for their part, responded with a simple but heartfelt message thanking fans for their patience and support over the years. Despite the small team size and relatively quiet marketing approach, Silksong has now firmly established itself as one of the defining indie titles of the generation.
As servers stabilize and more players get their hands on the game, Hollow Knight: Silksong seems poised to not only dominate the indie space but challenge even AAA titles for attention this year. The long wait is finally over—and for many, it was worth every second.
