Team Cherry's long-awaited sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong has reached more than 5 million players just three days after its release on September 4, 2025. The milestone includes over 3 million copies sold on Steam, generating an estimated $50 million in revenue. These figures place Hollow Knight: Silksong among the largest indie launches ever recorded.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Makes $50 Million
Hollow Knight: Silksong Makes $50 Million
The explosive debut stems from years of accumulated anticipation and the sterling reputation of its predecessor, Hollow Knight. Before release, Hollow Knight: Silksong was already the most wishlisted game of 2025 on Steam, with more than 5.2 million users tracking it. At launch, over one million additional players accessed the game through Game Pass on console, propelling it to rapid global reach.
Part of Hollow Knight: Silksong's success stems from its unconventional marketing strategy. Team Cherry went silent for months at a time during development, with minor announcements or small design reveals treated as major events by the community.
This approach stood in stark contrast to the constant visibility strategies favored by larger publishers. The official release date was confirmed only two weeks before launch, and the limited communication fueled sustained curiosity and discussion.
Player demographics and genre preferences
The game has already established significant international reach. On Steam, the largest player bases came from the United States and China, followed by Russia, Japan, and Brazil. Player distribution on PlayStation showed slightly different patterns, with North America representing 30 percent of the audience, while East Asia and Western Europe accounted for 14 percent each. This spread demonstrates the game's broad appeal across different regions and platforms.
Although Hollow Knight: Silksong is a Metroidvania, its audience overlaps heavily with players of other genres, particularly souls-like titles. On Steam, 78 percent of players also own Hollow Knight, but nearly half have played Elden Ring, and substantial portions have played Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro. This overlap indicates that Hollow Knight: Silksong resonates with players who value challenging combat and atmospheric design, elements that transcend its genre classification.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Makes $50 Million
Comparisons with other 2025 indies
When measured against other independent releases this year, Hollow Knight: Silksong stands out dramatically. Within three days, it outsold its closest 2025 indie competitor by more than three and a half times. In the same period, its sales also doubled the combined totals of the second, third, and fourth ranked indie games. While other titles have grown through gradual word-of-mouth success, Hollow Knight: Silksong benefitted from a long production cycle and a highly engaged community awaiting release.
The game launched at a price of $20, ensuring accessibility to a wide audience. Team Cherry also introduced a bundle version that includes the official soundtrack composed by Christopher Larkin. This allowed dedicated fans to support the studio further while reinforcing the importance of music as a central part of the Hollow Knight series identity. Digital soundtrack sales represent an efficient revenue model, adding value for players without introducing barriers.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Makes $50 Million
Final thoughts
The early performance of Hollow Knight: Silksong positions it as one of the most significant indie game launches of recent years. If sales continue on a trajectory similar to Hollow Knight, which has maintained long-term momentum, it could become one of the best-selling indie titles of all time. The launch demonstrates how small studios can compete with larger publishers through strong design, community engagement, and strategic pricing. As its audience continues to expand worldwide, Hollow Knight: Silksong is likely to remain a central case study in how indie games can reshape market expectations. Here is the list of all the games mentioned:
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Hollow Knight
- Dead Cells
- Ori (referring to Ori and the Blind Forest or Ori and the Will of the Wisps)
- Elden Ring
- Dark Souls 3
- Sekiro
- Schedule I
- PEAK
- R.E.P.O.
