Team Cherry has finally addressed the elephant in the room. During a new Bloomberg interview with Jason Schreier, developers Ari Gibson and William Pellen explained why their highly anticipated sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong has been in development for roughly seven years.
The answer is surprisingly simple. There was no development hell. No major crisis. The tiny Adelaide-based studio just kept adding features because they were having fun and could afford to take their time.
“It was always progressing, and games take a lot of time,” Gibson told Bloomberg. The team repeatedly found themselves adding new ideas, expanding bosses, and creating more elaborate gameplay systems. At one point, Gibson admitted he “had to stop sketching” new content to prevent the project from ballooning into a 15-year endeavor.
The financial freedom to work this way came from Hollow Knight‘s massive success. Team Cherry confirmed the original game has now sold over 15 million copies. When Silksong was announced in February 2019, Hollow Knight had sold 2.8 million copies. The additional 12 million sales since then gave the developers breathing room to perfect their vision without rushing to market.
What started as planned DLC featuring Hornet evolved into something much bigger. Silksong now boasts around 200 enemies and roughly 40 bosses according to recent marketing materials. The new kingdom of Pharloom features more interactive environments and deeper gameplay systems than the original Hollow Knight ever had.
Working without corporate overlords
The studio’s development approach would make most project managers break out in hives. When asked about their workflow, the developers joked “What is Jira?” They admitted their Trello account had lapsed from disuse. This ultra-small team of core developers, occasional contractors, and returning composer Christopher Larkin operates without the heavy project management software that defines modern game development.
COVID barely touched their process either. Their remote-friendly setup and Adelaide location meant the pandemic caused minimal disruption. The real challenge was managing fan expectations. Team Cherry deliberately stayed quiet, believing that repeated “we’re still working on it” updates would only frustrate the community. They mostly avoided social media entirely, learning about community memes through friends and family instead.
The developers revealed they spent two to three years repeatedly thinking release was just a year away. But each time, new ideas and improvements pushed the timeline further. With plans for post-launch content already brewing, Team Cherry seems ready to support Silksong long after it finally ships to PC, Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation platforms as a day-one Game Pass title.
