Nearly three months after the release of Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry co-founders Ari Gibson and William Pellen have broken their silence to discuss the game’s massive reception, their unique development philosophy, and the future of the critically acclaimed sequel with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.
A major point of discussion since launch has been Silksong’s difficulty, which, like its predecessor, offers no adjustable settings or sliders. Gibson and Pellen firmly defended this choice, explaining it is integral to the game’s core design.
Pellen explained that the absence of difficulty sliders is about “creating the fiction that it’s a real world that exists independent of you.” This deliberate limitation means that when players hit a wall, the developers are also forced to consider how the world itself can provide solutions. “Limiting it in that way… means when we’re making it, we don’t have an out either. We have to be quite considerate about that stuff, and we’re playing it constantly as well,” Pellen noted.
Gibson elaborated that years of development were spent creating “new options for ourselves and then for the players,” ensuring that when a boss like the Last Judge proves too difficult, players are rewarded for exploring. The ideal experience, Gibson stated, is when a player backtracks, finds missed items, and returns prepared, having found a “second route” or a “little crack” to worm through.
The most exciting news for fans is that Team Cherry is actively working on new content for Silksong. This content will likely include the return of Steel Assassin Sharpe, an enemy who was tucked away due to the sheer volume of content already in the base game.
However, in line with their development philosophy, the team is cautious about offering a release date. Pellen stated they didn’t plan seven years for the original development and they are not concerned if the expansion also takes a long time, as they prefer to focus on the ideas they want to realize.
Regarding the scope of the updates, Gibson suggested they are considering a mix of scales, potentially including larger expansions similar to Godmaster for those who want to re-fight the massive boss roster. The new content will likely require a story structure, however, as Hornet’s ability to speak means the developers must consider “what she thinks about this stuff,” which naturally increases the complexity and scale of any additions.
Team Cherry’s next announcements will be “proportionate to what’s coming,” and while they plan to be more communicative, they emphasize that the final quality and the ideas driving the content will always take precedence over a strict timeline.
