Xbox Indies Update Sparks Silksong Frenzy

Fans of Hollow Knight have been waiting a long time for any update on its sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong. The wait has grown so intense that even a passing mention, like the one in a recent Xbox blog post, can reignite hopes for a potential 2025 release.

On Xbox Wire, ID@Xbox director Guy Richards published a post highlighting how the program has paid over $5 billion to indie developers. It reviews the success of past ID@Xbox launches, from Phasmophobia and Balatro to Another Crab's Treasure and Neva. Then, in a section about future titles, the game gets a name-check:

"Looking ahead, our lineup is incredible with upcoming games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Descenders Next, and FBC: Firebreak to play across the whole Xbox universe… and of course Hollow Knight: Silksong too!"

This essentially confirms that Hollow Knight: Silksong will launch sometime between this very moment and the end of time. That said, the other games mentioned are interesting reference points. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is scheduled for April 24, Descenders Next for April 9, and FBC: Firebreak is tentatively slated for 2025. This could suggest that Hollow Knight: Silksong is finally within reach.

To some extent, fans' impatience is understandable, as it has been roughly six years since the game was announced. Now, let's see how the Silksong faithful are responding to this brief mention.

"Where's the bait?" one commenter questioned on the Silksong subreddit. Another replied: "Silksong being mentioned by Xbox?" and followed up with an image from Squid Game Season 2 where the protagonist Seong Gi-hun declares: "I have played these games before!"

There's a tangible mix of humor and irony in communities like this, where people have bonded over the long wait for news. Another post highlighted this dynamic, noting that "we" — the Silksong hopefuls — are a "circus at this point," illustrating the point with a Patrick Star and Man Ray meme.

The prevailing hope, or running joke, is that news about Hollow Knight: Silksong will arrive on April 2 during Nintendo's Switch 2 Direct. Fans have a point: developer Team Cherry did fuel speculation with some cryptic posts around the official Switch 2 reveal. Believers cling to hope, while skeptics voice doubt. "We are an [$8] Mega Buffoon Pack," one user commented on the circus meme.

Hope and doubt come in many forms. But my favorite reaction to Xbox casually stating, "and of course Hollow Knight: Silksong too!" and all the speculation it sparked, came from Reddit user u/cerberusthedoge: "We got Hollow Knight Silksong 2 before Hollow Knight Silksong."