Team Cherry Explains Six-Year Hollow Knight: Silksong Development Journey
After more than six years of anticipation and near-total silence, independent Australian studio Team Cherry has finally revealed the release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Players have long wondered why development stretched on for so long, with some even questioning if the game truly existed. Now, thanks to Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, who spoke with the developers, we have answers regarding the extensive development timeline.
Creative Ambition and the Pursuit of Perfection
According to Team Cherry co-founders Ari Gibson and William Pellen, the extended development was primarily a result of the team's creative ambitions and deep love for their craft. At a certain point, the development of Silksong became so engaging that the creators decided not to release the game until it was brought to perfection. "We were having fun. Ultimately, it’s just a playground for our creativity, and we enjoy making something fun. Production didn’t stop, and work progressed as usual. It’s just that we’re a small team, and making games takes a lot of time. There are no serious disagreements within the studio behind it," Ari Gibson explained.
From DLC to a Massive Sequel
The original Hollow Knight has sold over 15 million copies, making it one of the most successful indie games in history. Initially, Silksong was planned as downloadable content (DLC). However, in 2019, the developers opted to transform it into a full-fledged sequel. At that time, Team Cherry envisioned Silksong as being slightly smaller than the first game, but over time, the studio's ambitions grew, leading to a significant expansion of the project.
The core development team remained Gibson and Pellen, joined by programmer Jack Vine, composer Chris Larkin, and a few additional staff members. Implementing Hornet's core gameplay was relatively quick; most of the time was dedicated to integrating and testing new ideas, including a complex quest system and a series of hub settlements. "Even then, we knew it was another gigantic game, comparable in scale to Hollow Knight or perhaps even surpassing it. Obviously, due to our working style, the world of the sequel became much larger over time. A quest system appeared, several settlements… And just like that, six or seven years passed," the founders noted.
They elaborated on their iterative process: "We're very lucky to have such an enjoyable development method. I don't know how we came up with it. Everything comes together quickly. Results are visible immediately. Ideas are implemented practically before our eyes, and it's very pleasant. This allows us to deviate from the core and try something new." Gibson added, "We were constantly working on new ideas, items, locations, bosses. It was so great! We only had to pull ourselves back to finally finish the game. Otherwise, we could have continued indefinitely." Pellen chimed in, "I remember at one point I just had to force myself to stop sketching. When creating concepts, I'd think: 'Everything I draw here has to go into the game. This is a cool idea, it's in. And this is a cool idea, it's in too!' And then I realized that if I didn't stop, it would take 15 years."
Why the Silence?
Addressing the prolonged silence, Team Cherry offered two main reasons: they didn't want to be repetitive or annoying with constant updates, and they wanted to avoid spoilers. "We felt that constant updates would only push people away from the project, because all we could say was 'development is still ongoing, wait,'" they stated. "Instead of regularly appearing and bothering people for fun, we felt our real duty was to work on the game. We probably thought at the time that we’d hide for a year or two and then release the game."
Overcoming Challenges and Maintaining Quality
The COVID-19 pandemic had minimal impact on Team Cherry, as their home city of Adelaide managed to avoid the worst of the virus, allowing the studio to continue working as usual. While Hollow Knight: Silksong was initially slated for a 2022 release and even announced at an Xbox presentation, the game continued to grow with new systems and complex bosses. "We truly believed we could meet the shortest deadlines. For two or three years, I thought we were about to release the game," they admitted.
"I think we always underestimate how much time and effort it will take to achieve a goal. Because we enjoy the process itself, we don't think: 'This is taking too long, this is terrible, we really need to get through this stage.' Instead, we enjoy production and decide to reinforce the pleasant activity with new ideas," the co-founders explained. They emphasized the need to maintain a consistent level of quality throughout the game, from interacting mechanics to hidden systems, calling it a multi-layered project where integrating new elements became increasingly complex as they were added.
Another factor in the extended timeline was the studio heads' refusal to significantly expand their team. "We don't want to change the formula only to find out it no longer brings us joy. In a past life, I've managed teams, and I don't want to do that anymore," said Ari Gibson.
Financial Freedom and Future Ambitions
Team Cherry had the luxury of taking as much time as needed, free from investor pressures. The massive success of the original Hollow Knight provided them with significant financial stability. To maintain their peace of mind, Gibson and Pellen largely ignored social media, player panic, and calls for the 'non-existent game.' They revealed they never read comments on YouTube or Reddit, though friends or relatives sometimes send them amusing ones. "It’s nice that people are passionate about the game, and that weird and very interesting communities have obviously formed around it. It feels like we’re going to spoil their fun by releasing the game…" they quipped.
The journey for Team Cherry doesn't end with Hollow Knight: Silksong. The developers already have ambitious plans for the future. "The launch is certainly very exciting, but what comes next is equally exciting. The most interesting thing now is what we can do in the future. And yes, we have a plan. I admit, some of our plans are quite ambitious, but hopefully, we can realize them," the duo confirmed.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is set to launch on September 4th for PC (Steam, GOG), PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, featuring Russian text localization. This highly anticipated release promises to be a vast, refined experience born from a deep passion for game development, ensuring a worthwhile wait for fans.
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