Since before the turn of the decade, Team Cherry’sHollow Knight: Silksonghas found itself on the top of many anticipated game lists. With the first installment ofHollow Knightbursting onto the scene with its Metroidvania-styled gameplay and Soulslike-esque difficulty levels in 2017, fans of this trailblazer have been looking forward to the follow-up that unravels princess Hornet’s lore ever since. Unfortunately, that wait has stretched on for almost eight years now. While there’s an understanding that the title will be released someday, there’s a content gap the fan base has strived to fill through mods. That’s where Hollow Knight: The Sanctuary comes in, and its recent development update could give the actualHollow Knight:Silksongsequel a run for its money in terms of release anticipation.
Although the post-launch efforts of Team Cherry were admirable (the team released four DLCs in two years), a lot of time has passed since what many would identify as the peak anticipation period forSilksong’s release. In the wake of the growing gap between fan expectations and the reality of the development timeline, several mods sprung up to expand theworld of Hallownesteven further. These mods have addressed a variety of issues; from adding entirely new areas to altering existing boss fights to even outfittingHollow Knightwith voice acting in different languages. In the case of Hollow Knight: The Sanctuary, its unification of several such elements into a single fan-made DLC-of-sorts has inadvertently made it an unofficial form of competition for Team Cherry.
Silksong May Have to Battle for Mindshare With The Sanctuary
Hollow Knight: Silksongand The Sanctuary Team’s mod have had a few similarities in their development process so far. Like the official crew in Australia, the modders have kept mute about the mod’s progress since its announcement in 2021. So much so, in fact, that both the official sequel and the mod have, at some point, been deemed canceled. However, sudden changes to the status quo forSilksongand The Sanctuary mod rang out in April. First, reputable leakers teased in late March thatSilksongplans to release later this year.
Then, the game’s appearance during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct lended some major credibility to the rumors with itsreveal of a 2025 launch window. Similarly, the mod’s radio silence finally broke in mid-April. In a tweet alluding to the well-kept nature of the development, one of the leading modders teased a peek at the mod’s gameplay; showcasing the Knight in battle with several enemies in what seems to be the new area that the mod is bringing to theHollow Knightfranchise.
Despite the Competition, Silksong and The Sanctuary Could Form a Dynamic Duo
Given the fanfare that followed the announcement, and since theHollow Knightfaithful have had their hopes let down too many times in the wait forSilksong, Hollow Knight: The Sanctuary could well prove to be the more attractive - and realistic - option to look forward to. It’s not the first time whereSilksongwould appear to have a confirmed release window (the Xbox Showcase in 2022sold similar dreams), so it stands to reason that some fans may not pay attention to any new development rumors until the sequel is physically in front of them.
That being said, even in the eventuality whereSilksongdoes come out in 2025 as teased,Hollow Knight: The Sanctuary’s expansionsto the base world of Hallownest add too much depth to be relegated to the background. Judging by the enthusiastic response to The Sanctuary Team’s call for playtesters, the mod’s traction in the community could well rivalSilksong, despite fans waiting for its release since the end of the DLC additions in 2018. Still, there’s no such thing as too muchHollow Knight(especially given the barren years), and it’s entirely plausible that franchise faithful load up both the mod and the sequel when they eventually make their debuts.
