Hollow Knight: Silksong launched in September 2025. The often-cited “seven years” is a retrospective description of the wait, not a precisely documented production interval: the available milestones establish a 2019 public reveal and a 2025 release, but not an exact start date for full development. Team Cherry’s account points to a project that grew from a Hornet expansion into a standalone sequel, made by a small team whose scope and ideas kept expanding.
Why did Silksong take so long?
There was no single delay or stoppage identified by Team Cherry. In a September 2025 interview with ABC News, developer Ari Gibson said the game was progressing throughout development, that the team was small, and that there was no major controversial moment behind the timeline. He also described a process in which new ideas could enter readily and the project’s content continued to grow. That is the developers’ explanation of Silksong’s development, not a general rule about how long games take.
The project’s scope changed early. Silksong began as an idea for a Hollow Knight expansion that would let players take control of Hornet. Gibson told ABC News that the story and content grew large enough that Hornet needed a new world suited to her scale and identity. Team Cherry’s March 2019 announcement presented that expanded concept as Hornet’s journey through Pharloom and described the team as working on a large adventure. The result was a standalone sequel rather than the smaller expansion first imagined.
What does “seven years” actually count?
ABC News called Silksong a seven-year development. That phrase is useful shorthand for the long period between its public reveal and release, but it should not be read as a verified count from the first day of full production. Team Cherry said it had kept the project secret for two years before its surprise announcement; that tells us there was work before the reveal, but it does not establish exactly when full production began. The available milestones do not provide a precise production-start date or a breakdown of how time was spent.
#1 Best Overall
![Hollow Knight: Silksong Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mOgOC8xEL._SL160_.jpg)
- Discover the fallen insect kingdom of Pharloom! Explore mossy grottos, gilded cities and misted moors as you ascend to the shining citadel at the top of the world.
- Engage in lethal acrobatic action! Wield a huge suite of deadly moves as you dance between foes in swift, beautiful combat.
- Craft powerful tools! Master an ever-expanding arsenal of weapons, traps, and mechanisms to vanquish your enemies and explore new heights.
- Solve shocking quests! Hunt down rare beasts and solve ancient mysteries to grant the wishes of the downtrodden and restore the kingdom’s hope.
- Face over 200 ferocious foes! Beasts and hunters, monsters and knights. Defeat them all with bravery and skill!
The established public timeline is straightforward: Team Cherry revealed the project in 2019; on August 19, 2025, it announced a special announcement for August 21; and ABC News reported that Silksong released in September 2025. The seven-year label is therefore a retrospective duration, not a precise start-to-finish measurement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Team Cherry said about release dates
In its 2019 development update, Team Cherry explained why it was not naming a release date: it would share one only when confident it could meet it. The studio wrote, “The last thing we want to do is make promises, only to see things slide.” It also said it wanted the game to match Hollow Knight’s quality and scale. The policy explains the absence of an early date; it does not by itself account for the length of development.
Rank #2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong is the epic sequel to Hollow Knight, the award winning action-adventure.
- Journey to all-new lands, discover new powers, battle vast hordes of bugs and beasts and uncover secrets tied to your nature and your past.
Silksong ultimately arrived in September 2025, as ABC News reported. The long wait did not end with a publicly documented crisis or a single announced cause; the developers described ongoing work on a project that had become much larger than its original expansion idea.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
![Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nXCF+sf5L._SL160_.jpg)
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!
- Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favorites and make your journey unique!
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
Rank #3
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Explore a vast interconnected world of forgotten highways, overgrown wilds and ruined cities.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!.Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favourites and make your journey unique!.An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation..
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
