Hollow Knight: Silksong, one of the most anticipated games in the gaming community, finally has a release date! Team Cherry announced that the game will launch on Nintendo Switch and other platforms on September 4. The announcement broadcast drew impressive viewership, making it one of YouTube Gaming’s most-watched streams of the past week.
The excitement surrounding Silksong isn’t surprising. The original Hollow Knight, released in 2017, became a touchstone for modern Metroidvania games, winning over players with its intricate world, tight combat and hauntingly beautiful hand-drawn art. Fans have spent years exploring Hallownest, uncovering its secrets, and speculating about what comes next. When Team Cherry revealed that the sequel would star Hornet, a fan-favorite character from the first game, anticipation skyrocketed.
The game's release trailer
Part of the allure comes from the long wait. Since its initial announcement in 2019, Silksong has been shrouded in mystery, with only occasional glimpses of gameplay and environments. This slow drip of information transformed every trailer, update, or developer insight into an event in itself, generating countless discussions and theories across social media and gaming forums.
Beyond nostalgia and suspense, Silksong promises to expand on the first game in meaningful ways. Hornet’s agility and unique abilities offer fresh gameplay possibilities, while the meticulously crafted new world invites players to explore and discover on their own terms. Combined with Team Cherry’s reputation for polish and care, these elements have created a perfect storm of excitement.
The announcement stream for Hollow Knight: Silksong lasted just under an hour, but in that short time, it captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of fans around the world. At its peak, the broadcast drew over 320,000 live viewers, a remarkable figure for an indie title and a testament to the franchise’s dedicated following. Even more telling, the stream maintained an average of roughly 108,000 viewers throughout, showing that fans stayed engaged from start to finish rather than just tuning in for the release date itself.
Even more impressive, the broadcast ranked among YouTube Gaming’s most popular streams over the past week, outperformed only by the special edition Nintendo Direct for Kirby Air Riders, a Switch 2 exclusive set to launch in November.
Notably, Team Cherry’s broadcast outperformed in peak viewers all official channels covering the current Gamescom in Germany, as well as major esports channels such as LCK, BLAST Premier, and Esports World Cup.
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