After years of delays, Hollow Knight: Silksong will finally be released on September 4, 2025. It feels like a victory lap for Team Cherry and the fans who’ve been waiting for seven years. Beneath the excitement, the release has thrown indie developers into chaos as they reschedule the release of their games. Is the timing of Silksong’s release to prevent the game from being overshadowed by other games coming out in the next few weeks?
List of Games Coming Up
Look at the calendar and you’ll see that September and October are filled with big hitters. Silksong, Hell Is Us, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle DLC all come out on the same day, September 4. On September 12, Borderlands 4 releases with Silent Hill f coming on September 25. Ghost of Yotei is out October 2 with Little Nightmares 3 and Battlefield 6 both drop on October 10.
Had Team Cherry pushed Silksong back again, they’d risk being overshadowed by a wall of blockbuster releases. By releasing the game sooner, they get a small but vital window to dominate the spotlight before the storm hits.
Indie Devs Are Screwed Either Way
Indie developers were bound to lose no matter what. If they stuck with their initial release dates, they’d be competing with Silksong, Silent Hill f among other games scheduled for September. If they waited until later, they’d be up against Borderlands 4, Battlefield, or Ghost of Yotei. The indie release calendar was doomed to be overshadowed.
That’s why several indie studios have already delayed their launches by weeks or even months. Media and streamers will be locked onto bigger, more popular games. When attention is your lifeline, getting overlooked can be fatal.
The Risk for Team Cherry
Of course, Team Cherry isn’t bulletproof. Seven years of hype can be a dangerous thing. Just because there’s a lot of anticipation surrounding Silksong doesn’t mean it will be good. If it fails to deliver, the backlash will be swift and brutal.
A shaky launch would dominate headlines, with everyone writing it off as a cautionary tale of overpromising and underdelivering. Team Cherry has no margin for error.
Timing Is Everything
Indie studios don’t have the luxury of large advertising budgets. They don’t have massive fanbases or guaranteed coverage. Team Cherry does which is why, for them, releasing now makes perfect sense. They get to cash in on goodwill, press coverage, and excitement before bigger names reclaim the spotlight. For indie devs, though, sometimes no amount of planning can save you from being drowned out.
Silksong’s September 4 launch is more than delivering a long-delayed sequel. It’s about strategy. Team Cherry had to move before bigger fish arrived. Unfortunately, that means smaller fish get swept aside in the current. In other words, indie devs were screwed either way.
