Team Cherry just dropped a bombshell that’s equal parts exciting and existentially unsettling. The three-person Australian studio behind Hollow Knight: Silksong confirmed they’re working on DLC for the game while simultaneously planning future projects. The catch? After spending seven years making Silksong, co-founders Ari Gibson and William Pellen admit their biggest concern now is death, and whether they’ll have enough time to create everything they want before it arrives.
In a revealing interview with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Gibson put it bluntly: “The only time concern really is, and we’ve talked about this before, death. It’s not that far off if you spend seven years per project, and potentially add another two. So it’d be nice to do a few more games. Apparently our timeframe still allows us to fit a few more in. Short of an unexpected tragedy.” That’s the kind of statement that makes you simultaneously want to celebrate indie game development and question your own mortality.
What They’re Actually Working On Right Now
Before anyone panics, Team Cherry isn’t abandoning Silksong. The studio confirmed they’re actively developing DLC content for the game, though they characteristically refused to provide any timeline for when it might release. Gibson explained they’re not planning to take an excessive amount of time but they’re still pursuing the same development philosophy that stretched Silksong to seven years in the first place.
That philosophy involves starting with a core idea and letting it grow organically without artificial constraints. It’s the reason both Hollow Knight and Silksong became massive, densely packed experiences instead of smaller focused projects. It’s also why fans wait years between releases wondering if the games are ever actually coming out.
Current priorities for Team Cherry include:
- Completing promised DLC content for Silksong that will enhance the world
- Minor technical fixes and balance adjustments based on player feedback
- Exploring concepts for additional elements that could expand the game
- Deciding whether their next full project will be Hollow Knight 3 or something completely new
- Figuring out how to work faster without compromising their creative vision
The Success That Made This Conversation Possible
Understanding Team Cherry’s position requires acknowledging Silksong’s remarkable performance. The game finally launched September 4, 2025 after becoming one of gaming’s most infamous development sagas. Within three days, it sold over 3 million copies on Steam alone and generated more than $50 million in revenue. Total sales across all platforms reached approximately 4.2 million within two weeks.
| Metric | Hollow Knight (2017) | Silksong (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Development Time | Approximately 3-4 years | 7 years |
| Launch Sales (First 2 weeks) | Data not available | 4.2+ million copies |
| Lifetime Sales | 15 million copies | Ongoing (4.2+ million so far) |
| Critical Reception | Metacritic 90 | OpenCritic 94 (highest of 2025) |
| Game Awards Status | Best Debut nomination 2018 | GOTY nominee 2025 |
Silksong attracted 5 million players in its first week when including Xbox Game Pass downloads. The sequel’s arrival even boosted the original Hollow Knight, which sold over 200,000 additional copies for three consecutive weeks following Silksong’s launch despite already having 15 million lifetime sales. That kind of success gives Team Cherry financial security to make whatever they want next, but it also raises expectations to potentially crushing levels.
Hollow Knight 3 or Something Completely Different
The studio hasn’t decided what comes after Silksong’s DLC wraps up. Gibson expressed interest in exploring similar themes and gameplay in different genres or settings. He emphasized that whatever they create will still involve big worlds full of weird characters and giant bosses, maintaining that creative through line people expect from Team Cherry.
But the team also doesn’t want to become exclusively Hollow Knight developers. Gibson stated they have ideas for what additional Hollow Knight entries could look like but they’re equally interested in creating entirely new universes. Making another Hollow Knight game would be a joy, he said, but so would branching into unexplored creative territory.
The mortality concern weighs heavily on this decision. If each project takes seven years plus an additional two years for DLC content, the math gets grim quickly. Gibson and Pellen are calculating how many games they can realistically complete before age or health makes development impossible. Do they spend that limited time expanding a proven universe or taking risks on new ideas?
The Game Awards They Won’t Attend
Silksong earned nominations at The Game Awards 2025 including Game of the Year, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Independent Game, and Best Action Adventure Game. The ceremony represents one of gaming’s highest profile events with millions of viewers worldwide. Team Cherry won’t be there.
Why skip it? Because they’re convinced Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will win everything. Gibson and Pellen described the turn-based RPG as exceptional and broadly palatable, suggesting the outcome feels like a foregone conclusion. Rather than travel internationally for what they see as a predetermined result, they’re staying in Adelaide to keep working on Silksong content.
There’s also a practical element. Team Cherry consists of three people total working out of a small office. Taking time off for awards ceremonies means development stops. For a studio acutely aware of time slipping away, that trade-off doesn’t make sense unless they actually expect to win. And despite Silksong achieving the highest OpenCritic score of 2025 with a 94 average, they’re betting against themselves.
The Seven Year Development Nobody Planned
Gibson emphasized repeatedly that the seven-year timeline wasn’t intentional. When Team Cherry started Silksong, they had no idea it would consume that much time. The same thing happened with Hollow Knight. They begin with a core concept and let it expand until it feels complete, consequences be damned.
That approach creates masterpieces but destroys schedules. Co-founder William Pellen admitted they could have limited the scope if they wanted to ship faster. They chose not to because the creative vision mattered more than deadlines. When asked if they’d try speeding up the next project, Pellen essentially said no, they’ll approach it the same way and see what happens.
Gibson added they’re clearly not worried if the next game takes a long time to complete. Which brings us back to the death conversation. They’re not worried about long development cycles but they are worried about having enough cycles left before dying. It’s a contradiction that captures indie development’s fundamental tension between artistic integrity and practical reality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Team Cherry working on Hollow Knight 3?
Team Cherry hasn’t decided yet. They confirmed having ideas for what Hollow Knight 3 could be but are equally interested in creating entirely new games in different genres or settings. Whatever they make next will likely feature big explorable worlds, weird characters, and giant bosses similar to their previous work, but the specific universe remains undecided.
When will the Silksong DLC release?
Team Cherry provided no timeline for Silksong’s DLC content. Co-founder Ari Gibson stated they don’t plan to take an excessive amount of time but they’re pursuing the same development philosophy that stretched Silksong to seven years. The studio will share updates when there’s more to reveal, which could mean months or years based on their track record.
Why did Silksong take seven years to make?
According to Team Cherry, the seven-year development wasn’t planned. The studio starts projects with core concepts and lets them grow organically without artificial constraints. This approach resulted in Silksong becoming a massive, densely packed experience but also meant the timeline expanded far beyond initial expectations. The team prioritizes creative vision over deadlines.
How well did Silksong sell?
Hollow Knight: Silksong sold over 3 million copies on Steam within three days of its September 4, 2025 launch, generating more than $50 million in revenue. Total sales across all platforms reached approximately 4.2 million copies within two weeks. The game attracted 5 million total players when including Xbox Game Pass downloads, making it one of 2025’s biggest indie success stories.
Why won’t Team Cherry attend The Game Awards?
Team Cherry stated they probably won’t attend The Game Awards 2025 despite Silksong’s Game of the Year nomination because they believe Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will win. They described the outcome as a foregone conclusion and prefer to stay in Adelaide working on Silksong content rather than travel internationally for what they see as a predetermined result.
What did Team Cherry mean about death being their concern?
Co-founder Ari Gibson explained that spending seven years per project plus additional time for DLC means they can only complete a limited number of games before death makes development impossible. The studio wants to create multiple additional projects but worries about having enough time left. Gibson stated their timeframe appears to allow for a few more games, short of an unexpected tragedy.
How big is Team Cherry as a studio?
Team Cherry consists of three people working out of a small office in Adelaide, Australia. The core team includes co-founders Ari Gibson and William Pellen, who handle most development duties. The tiny team size explains both their meticulous attention to detail and their extended development timelines, as they lack the resources larger studios use to accelerate production.
Did the original Hollow Knight benefit from Silksong’s release?
Yes, significantly. Following Silksong’s September 2025 launch, the original Hollow Knight sold over 200,000 copies for three consecutive weeks despite already having 15 million lifetime sales. The sequel’s arrival introduced new players to the franchise and reminded existing fans why they loved the original, creating a sales surge that took Hollow Knight to number 4 on Steam’s weekly charts.
What This Means for Indie Gaming
Team Cherry’s situation represents indie development at both its best and most challenging. The freedom to spend seven years perfecting a game without corporate pressure produced something exceptional. Silksong earned the highest critical average of 2025 and sold millions of copies despite being a 2D Metroidvania from a tiny studio. That’s the dream scenario.
But the mortality conversation reveals the cost. Three people can only work so fast. Perfectionism takes time. And when each project consumes nearly a decade, the math on how many games you can create before dying becomes genuinely concerning. It’s a privileged problem in many ways since it assumes financial security to work at that pace, but it’s also deeply human.
For fans, the immediate takeaway is simple. More Silksong content is coming eventually, though when remains typically vague. Whatever Team Cherry creates after that, whether Hollow Knight 3 or something entirely new, will probably take years and will almost certainly be worth the wait. And somewhere in Adelaide, three developers are racing against time itself to create as many masterpieces as mortality will allow.