The long-awaited sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, has finally arrived, making an explosive entry and quickly dominating the charts on both PC and consoles, despite facing initial launch challenges.
Unprecedented Success on Steam
Hollow Knight: Silksong has officially launched and is showcasing truly phenomenal performance on Steam. The game`s debut was met with an immediate surge, accumulating 5,000 concurrent players in its initial five minutes. This figure rapidly climbed to 50,000 within just half an hour, and astonishingly, reached 100,000 concurrent players after a mere 45 minutes. Currently, the game`s concurrent player count has soared beyond 478,000.
Despite reports of numerous and significant technical issues on Steam that have reportedly prevented many users from accessing the store, purchasing, and even playing the game, Silksong has impressively secured the No. 3 spot among the most-played titles on the platform.
For comparison, the original Hollow Knight, released in 2017, achieved its highest concurrent player record of 72,916 only very recently, on September 3rd. This notable increase in the predecessor`s player base was undoubtedly fueled by the intense anticipation surrounding the sequel`s release.
Industry analysts anticipate that Silksong`s player figures on Steam will continue their upward trend, as historical data consistently indicates that game popularity on the platform often experiences a significant boost over weekends, when players generally have more free time for gaming.
Console Performance and Game Pass Availability
Silksong is also available across various console platforms, including PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch 2. While detailed concurrent player data, similar to Steam`s, is not publicly available for these systems, reports confirm that Silksong has already claimed the No. 1 position on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop, showcasing its immediate popularity.
On both Xbox and PC, the game is readily accessible through Game Pass. This means that traditional sales figures for these platforms may not fully reflect the game`s complete reach and popularity, as many players will access it via subscription. Furthermore, the console rollout of Silksong also encountered its own set of technical difficulties, mirroring some of the challenges observed during its PC launch.
The original Hollow Knight proved to be a remarkable commercial success, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide, setting a high bar for its successor.
Insights into Development and Player Rewards
In additional news, players have the opportunity to earn a special Hornet badge through Twitch Drops. Hornet is the captivating protagonist and playable character in Team Cherry`s highly anticipated follow-up title.
The development of Silksong spanned several years, a lengthy process that the developers clarified was not indicative of “development hell.” Instead, the immense critical and commercial success of the first game provided the small Team Cherry studio with the unprecedented freedom and time to meticulously craft the sequel at their preferred pace. Another significant factor contributing to the extended development timeline was that Silksong initially began its life as an expansion for Hollow Knight before evolving into a full, standalone release, greatly expanding its scope and ambition.