September 4, 2025, will be remembered as a frantic day in the indie world: after seven years of waiting, Hollow Knight: Silksong finally arrived… and took everything by storm. Here’s how this phenomenon unfolded.
The Long-Awaited Arrival of Silksong
Originally envisioned as a DLC for Hollow Knight (2017), Silksong grew into a full sequel. The announcement of its release date just two weeks prior sent expectations soaring. Finally, on September 4, 2025, it launched across multiple platforms: Steam, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Linux, macOS, and on Xbox Game Pass from day one.
Simultaneous Digital Store Collapse
The launch was so massive it caused widespread outages: Steam, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, and Microsoft Store all experienced crashes, loading errors, and issues processing purchases. It was an unprecedented phenomenon for an indie title.
Record-Breaking Player Numbers
Just minutes after release, Silksong had already reached over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam. Within hours, it peaked between 500,000 and 560,000 users playing at the same time, cementing itself as one of the most successful launches in the platform’s history.
"Silksong" Overshadows Other Indie Releases
The launch was so impactful that several indie studios postponed their own releases to avoid being overshadowed. One such case, Jetrunner, admitted the situation was paradoxically a blessing, as their game gained visibility amid the frenzy.
Community Reactions and Memes
Streamer Xokas lashed out at Steam for the crashes, using sharp language that echoed the frustration of many players. Meanwhile, communities like Reddit joked about what could happen with future massive releases, such as GTA 6.
