Hollow Knight: Silksong 'crashes' on Steam, Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Store
Hollow Knight: Silksong just launched and caused Steam, Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Store to crash for many hours due to the large number of players.
Player count exploded in just 30 minutes
Hollow Knight: Silksong's release date has created a global fever. Immediately after its launch, Steam and a series of major online stores such as Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store simultaneously encountered problems, unable to handle the overwhelming demand from gamers.
In the first few hours, thousands of people reported errors in payment, making many people upset because the game did not have a pre-order option to reduce pressure.
Despite technical difficulties, Steam recorded more than 100,000 concurrent players within half an hour of its release. Humble Bundle even had to suspend sales due to the high traffic before fixing the issue. The incident shows the huge appeal of Hollow Knight: Silksong, the 7-year-long-awaited sequel to the hit indie game of 2017.
Success from a small development team
Silksong was developed by Team Cherry, an indie group consisting of just three members: Ari Gibson, William Pellen, and Jack Vine, with music composed by Christopher Larkin.
Originating from Adelaide, Australia, the team made a big splash with the original Hollow Knight, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. This success made even major studios in the US and Japan wary, with up to seven other titles postponing their releases to avoid direct competition with Silksong.
The original Hollow Knight was hailed as a modern Metroidvania masterpiece, with detailed hand-drawn graphics, challenging boss fights, and a vast map filled with secrets.
Silksong continues to explore that deep world, but this time the main character is Hornet, a female warrior with a sharp sword, who was a supporting character in the first part. This change makes the community even more eager to experience the new experience.
Explaining the long wait
In an interview, Ari Gibson shared that the development of Silksong lasted for 7 years and was entirely up to the team to create the game exactly as they wanted.
William Pellen also said that Hollow Knight's success came from their own taste, mixing inspiration from classic games while still giving them a fresh new look. With Silksong, they hope to recreate the same appeal.
