It’s been six long years since Hollow Knight sequel Silksong was confirmed to be in development, and fans – starved of much in the way of news – have managed to reach such a frenzy of anticipation in that time, it’s a wonder the whole thing didn’t end in mass spontaneous combustion. Some of the pressure was thankfully released last month when developer Team Cherry finally confirmed a 2025 launch window, but an exact release date remains elusive. What we do now know, however, is Silksong’s set to be playable at an Australian museum this September, suggesting it’ll either release before, after, or during that time.
Silksong is more specifically due to appear at Australia’s national museum of screen culture (ACMI) as part of its upcoming Game Worlds exhibition, running from 18th September 2025 to 8th February next year. The exhibition focuses on 30 video games – including the seminal likes of The Sims and World of Warcraft – and “charts technical and design innovation to uncover what makes these virtual worlds feel alive.” And in among that number is Silksong, which has earned its place in the line-up partly for the sheer magnitude of anticipation surrounding its release and partly to celebrate its homegrown origins, given Team Cherry is based in Adelaide.
“Since Hollow Knight: Silksong’s initial announcement in 2019, it has been one of the most anticipated indie games on the planet,” Game World co-curators Bethan Johnson and Jini Maxwell wrote in a statement announcing the news, “and we are thrilled to celebrate the design of this South Australian-made game as a centrepiece of Game Worlds in September.”
“From the hundreds of sprites that animate Hornet’s different movements and attacks, to the logic behind the game’s most challenging boss fights – and of course, having the game playable in-gallery – our Silksong displays delve deeply into the details of the game’s artistic direction and design. We’re so grateful to Team Cherry for trusting us with their work, and so excited to share that work with you!”
It is, of course, tempting to try and divine a narrower Silksong release window from this fresh morsal of news, but that ultimately feels like a fruitless endeavour. ACMI’s announcement makes no suggestion Silksong’s playable Game Worlds appearance is in any way a first, so there’s every chance it’ll get a general release ahead of its museum debut. On the other hand, it doesn’t say it’s not a first, so the opposite might also be true? All we know for certain is Silksong comes Switch, Switch 2, and PC later this year, with an Xbox and PlayStation release to follow.
