Hollow Knight Silksong Wait: The Meme That Ate Gaming

Let’s face it. The Hollow Knight Silksong wait has become a meme so strong it’s practically eligible for clinical study. What began as hype turned into running jokes, depression spirals, and a global clown convention at every Nintendo Direct. But how did we get from playing a Silksong demo in 2019 to knowingly sending clown emojis every six months?

1. It Was Supposed to Be DLC. Really.

Remember simpler times? Team Cherry summoned Hollow Knight into the world back in 2017, complete with promised DLC (actual downloadable content, not cryptic riddles). The stretch goals mentioned Hornet, our nimble antagonist-turned-fan-favorite. She was going to be playable. Then, like a college group project that got way out of hand, Hornet’s adventure snowballed into a standalone game: Hello, Silksong!

2. Demoed in 2019. Ghosted Ever Since.

This is not Half-Life 3—we actually played Silksong at E3 2019. It looked real, it felt real, and IGN described it as possibly “even better” than the original. Surely, we thought, it’d release in the next year. Sure. And surely my GPU price will come down, too.

3. The Release Date That Never Was

Team Cherry played a galaxy-brain move: never announce a release date, so you can’t miss it. Meanwhile, the community invented their own psychological horror genre: the absence of information. Every Nintendo Direct or Xbox Showcase became an elaborate disappointment ritual, turning fans into performance artists painting their faces like sad mimes.

4. From Stretch Goal to Urban Legend

Hornet’s playable arc began as a funding extra and climbed the evolutionary ladder; by now, it’s basically the gaming community’s version of Bigfoot. Is it real? Was it just an elaborate fever dream triggered by E3 lights and sleep deprivation?

5. The Developer Disappearing Act

After drenching us in blog posts and demo footage in 2019, Team Cherry vanished with the style of a ninja who just realized everyone in the town wants spoilers. The dev silence just fueled even more elaborate memes. For a peek at other games that inspire this kind of religious-level patience, check out why Darksiders 4 hype is real.

6. The Memes—Oh God, the Memes

Gamers never met a delay they couldn’t turn into content. As the Hollow Knight Silksong wait dragged on, we strapped on clown shoes and tweeted through the pain. The subreddit became a circus. Release date predictions now have the accuracy of weather forecasts on a planet with three suns.

7. It’s Still Going. But Why?

Look, modern game development is basically rocket science mixed with high-stakes Jenga. Polish takes time. Bugs multiply. And when your first game is a genre classic, the pressure’s real. So, we wait—and keep waiting. And if it ever releases, it may just break the internet for a day.

Is There an End in Sight?

If you’re reading this hoping for a point, here it is: You’re not alone in the waiting room. The Hollow Knight Silksong wait now lives rent-free in our brains. Will we finally see it at the next big event, or is Silksong destined for a 2077 release window (no shade, Cyberpunk)?

• Ready to distract yourself? Try our best movie poster puzzles guide.
• Or dive into what’s up with the Bioshock 4 narrative overhaul.

Stay tuned, fellow clowns—we’ll be here, face paint at the ready, until Hornet graces our screens. Or until the sun dies. Whichever comes first.