After an eight-month absence,Starfieldhas returned with a new release date and a clear path forward. Things were looking dicey after the game was delayed from late 2022 to the first half of 2023, then quietly disappeared following its gameplay reveal at the June 2022 Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. However, it has now returned with a September 2023 launch window and another livestream presentation in June. Coincidentally, the comparably long-awaited gameHollow Knight: Silksongalso vanished after appearing in that same showcase. The only difference isSilksongstill doesn’t have a release date.
StarfieldandHollow Knight: Silksongrepresent similar things to different people. OnStarfield’s end, Bethesda fans have been waiting sinceFallout 4for a new singleplayer RPG from the industry giant.Fallout: 76has improved over time, but it’s still not the experience many players want. ForHollow Knight: Silksong, a passionate fan base concentrated around theindie metroidvaniaHollow Knighthas been waiting for the expansion-turned-sequel since its 2019 announcement. The scale is different, but the rejoicing when these games come out will be comparable. Unfortunately, even thoughStarfieldsorted out its development delays, it feels likeSilksongis being pushed further away because of it.
RELATED:Starfield’s Delay Breaks a Major Promise From Xbox
Starfield and Silksong Allegedly Shared a Release Window
The source of these feelings is the very Xbox Showcase that both games appeared in, one at the beginning and one at the end.Hollow Knight: Silksongwas positioned near the show’s opening to surprise and interest viewers, many of which have been hoping toseeSilksongin almost every Nintendo Directfor the past two years. Even so, all that was announced was Xbox skews and a day-one Game Pass release. Some new footage was available to analyze, but the show continued without any word of a release date.
Everything changed when the presentation concluded. Fans looked to the official Xbox Twitter account to ask about a particular statement made during the presentation regarding every game there being playable in the next twelve months.Silksongin particular was brought up, meaning that all of a sudden, theHollow Knightcommunity was looking at an actual release window forSilksong, and it was just around the corner. When Sony later announced thatSilksongwas also coming to PlayStation platforms, it seemed like a precise release date was going to drop at any moment.
Thanks To Starfield, Silksong’s Release Date Is Unknown Again
Unfortunately, all of this hype was predicated on one quickly debunked promise. Xbox’s June 2022 commitment to fans was not binding in any way, and the realities of game development meant that schedules had to change.Starfield, the capstone of that Xbox Games Showcase, didn’t actually get a firm release date until March 2023’s announcement of September 6. That lies outside the promised twelve-month window and retroactively means every other unreleased game at the conference could miss that timeframe as well, withSilksongbeing the prime suspect.
Besides a recent statement by the lead playtester that the final game will be worth the wait,Silksonghas had no major announcements since its console skews were revealed in 2022. The end is nowhere in sight, and if Xbox’s next star game is allowed to take its time, then there’s nothing keeping an indie title from doing the same. Until otherwise stated, it’s business as usual forHollow Knight: Silksong. If no word on it surfaces in the few months remaining before the 2023 Xbox Showcase, then at least fans can take solace knowing thatHollow Knight: Silksongisn’t rushing its launch, and it should come out with the polish fans expect from theHollow Knightname.
Hollow Knight: Silksongis coming soon to PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
