Hollow Knight: Silksong Hornet
Image: Team Cherry

With every new video game announcement showcase — whether from Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, or even a more broad presentation — you'll probably hear loud calls clamouring for a certain insect-starring Metroidvania sequel.

Tomorrow's Indie World has returned those same calls, but we need to be honest with ourselves here: Hollow Knight: Silksong is too big for an Indie World presentation. We're sorry!

Let's start with something obvious here — indie is already a hit of a nebulous label. It's meant to be a catch-all term for games from smaller, independent studios with a smaller budget, and yes, Silksong is still being developed by Team Cherry, a three-person dev team. But putting Hollow Knight or Silksong next to, let's say, Chants of Sennaar or Cassette Beasts really exposes the problems with the label.

We're guilty of overusing the indie label, too, of course. Dave The Diver, which launched on Switch earlier this year, ticks many of the "indie boxes" — pixel art, unique gameplay, unusual blends of genre — but the developer, Mintrocket, is actually owned by Korean game publisher Nexon. The developer doesn't even see itself as an indie developer, either (via Gametoc).

Hollow Knight is huge. As of February 2019, it sold an estimated 2.8 million copies (via Team Cherry) — most indie games barely even sell a third of that. But it also gets so much more exposure than most other indie titles. Back at E3 2022, Microsoft showcased Silksong as part of its main lineup, along with the fact that it was coming to Game Pass day one.

That was also the time that Silksong was due to be coming out "in the next 12 months." Of course, that came and went with Silksong being delayed out of the "first half of 2023". But fans are desperate, and we totally understand that — Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania masterclass

But we're now in November, and given that many have expected Silksong to release in 2023, fans are understandably scrambling at every new showcase. Indie World, to us, seems a little out of the picture — as much as we'd love to see it there.

So, is Silksong still releasing in 2023? Team Cherry didn't give us a new release window when the game was delayed earlier this year, but realistically, if it is launching in 2023, the next likely place it will pop up is at The Game Awards in December. A trailer, a release date a few weeks ahead — surely it's a no-brainer, right?

But then there's also the complicated reality that a lot of us may need to reckon with — Silksong may now be coming out in 2024. We're less than two months from the end of 2023 and with very little word on the game's release, we just cannot see it launching soon unless it's part of that surprise announcement at The Game Awards. It would make for an excellent surprise drop.

So, what do you think, dear readers? Will we have egg on our face tomorrow with Hollow Knight: Silksong appearing at the Indie World November showcase? Or is Silksong weaving its web for 2024 instead? Vote in our polls below and share your thoughts in the comments.

When do you think we'll see Silksong next?
Is Silksong too big for an Indie World Showcase?