The highly anticipated launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong has proven to be an undeniable triumph. According to recent data from Alinea Analytics, the eagerly awaited sequel to the beloved metroidvania has already amassed more than 5 million players since its debut on September 4.
Rhys Elliot, Alinea`s head of marketing analysis, shared on Substack that the game achieved remarkable sales, moving over 3 million units on Steam within just three days. Furthermore, Elliot noted that approximately 1 million of the 5 million players accessed Silksong through Xbox Game Pass on consoles. He lauded this performance as “the single biggest indie launch we’ve ever tracked in that time period,” especially considering the impressive $50 million in revenue generated from Steam sales alone.
The Alinea report also offered insight into the previous gaming habits of Silksong`s players on Valve`s platform. It revealed that a significant 78% of these players had previously engaged with the original Hollow Knight, while 32% had played Celeste. It`s important to note, however, that these figures do not account for players who might have experienced these titles on other gaming platforms.
Elliot attributes part of Silksong`s explosive launch success to its unique, understated marketing approach, which involved providing development updates only once a year. He suggested, however, that such a strategy is typically viable for only a select few titles, citing Eric `ConcernedApe` Barone`s upcoming game, Haunted Chocolatier, as another indie title that might effectively employ a similar method.
Over the recent weekend, Silksong saw a peak of just over 587,000 simultaneous players on Steam. Developer Team Cherry has indicated plans to release a patch that will introduce an easier difficulty option, alongside a “cheat code” for those seeking an even greater challenge. For comprehensive assistance, players can refer to GameSpot’s dedicated Silksong guides.
Community Creations: Top Hollow Knight: Silksong Mods
