Hollow Knight Silksong fans got their hopes up at the mention of something from a “small indie team from Australia,” only to be immediately disappointed

Hollow Knight
(Image credit: Team Cherry)

Hollow Knight fans awaiting more Silksong news are used to a little bit of disappointment regarding the big announcement showcases, but The Game Awards 2023 hit a little bit worse than usual. 

In what might be the most unfortunate case of unintentional baiting, Hollow Knight Silksong hopefuls' ears perked up when host Geoff Keighley revealed that the next game to be shown was from a small indie team from Australia. Sadly, it was not Team Cherry, but Untitled Goose Game developer House House with a "cooperative online walker-talker" called Big Walk. 

If you think that Australia has myriad small indie teams, you'd be right, though I imagine fans were extra aware of Keighley's word choice as Team Cherry's socials on Twitter and Facebook both feature a 'small indie games team in Adelaide, South Australia.' That, and that many of them have been awaiting an age for a meaningful update. It's the hope that kills you.

bait.jpg from r/Silksong
YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM US from r/Silksong
Small indie dev team from Australia used to be believable. from r/Silksong

As for what we know, Hollow Knight Silksong had been penciled in for an early 2023 release but has been delayed.

"We had planned to release in the 1st half of 2023, but development is still continuing," marketing and publishing lead Matthew Griffin said earlier this year. "We're excited by how the game is shaping up, and it's gotten quite big, so we want to take the time to make the game as good as we can. Expect more details from us once we get closer to release."

We're swiftly running out of 2023, so here's to hoping we get a meaningful update in 2024. 

Missed out? Here's everything announced at The Game Awards 2023.

Deputy News Editor

Iain joins the GamesRadar team as Deputy News Editor following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When not helping Ali run the news team, he can be found digging into communities for stories – the sillier the better. When he isn’t pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new hat, you’ll find him amassing an army of Pokemon plushies.

Read more
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight: Silksong fans reach as-yet-unheard-of levels of cope as the Metroidvania's Nintendo Switch store page briefly disappears
Hollow Knight
6 years and 1 prolonged delay later, Xbox is still calling "incredible" Hollow Knight: Silksong one of its "upcoming games"
Hollow Knight
The Hollow Knight: Silksong ARG turned out to be us clutching at straws, but dev says: "the game is real, progressing and will release"
Hollow Knight: Silksong screenshot from the announcement trailer, showing the Knight battling an enemy in a gloomy environment.
Hollow Knight Silksong: Everything we know so far
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets unprecedented second update in 2 weeks, with a Steam page tweak pointing to a 2025 release
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong developer teases us with a bunch of cryptic Nintendo Switch 2 clues including a cake, Imagine Dragons, and some Australian wine
Latest in Games
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"