Is Team Cherry’s Silksong Reviews Plan a Good Idea?

Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally received a release date from Team Cherry during Gamescom 2025. With the game set to launch on September 4th, fans will soon see the end of a seven-year wait. However, a recent announcement that accompanies this reveal has some fans worried. Jason Schreier, a known gaming insider, revealed that review codes will not be shared for Hollow Knight: Silksong, meaning there will be no early reviews for the game. Any reviews that come out will be upon release or after. Fans will have to go in blind and take a chance on Hollow Knight: Silksong.

According to Schreier, Team Cherry is not sending out early copies to be fair to Kickstarter backers. Hollow Knight: Silksong was supposed to be an expansion for Hollow Knight, but ultimately grew in scope to become a sequel. There is also speculation that distributing codes may be difficult, considering that Team Cherry is a team of three. But does Hollow Knight: Silksong even need early reviews?

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Hollow Knight: Silksong Could Be Immune to Review Scores

Hollow Knight is one of the most successful indie games of all time. Based on this and the hype surrounding its sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong doesn’t even need to rely on review scores to sell copies. The dedicated fan base is likely buying at launch no matter what. Bad reviews could, of course, hurt the game and sales, but the interest alone will carry the game regardless of Hollow Knight: Silksong getting glowing reviews.

One aspect of not having reviews go out is keeping all of Hollow Knight: Silksong a secret. Part of why Hollow Knight is so loved is how it handled exploration and discovery. There were always secrets to uncover, and the interconnected world felt so alive. While reviews tend to avoid spoilers, they could still take away from the sense of discovery for Hollow Knight: Silksong. So in a way, there is a silver lining to Team Cherry not providing review copies.

Is it Bad for a Game Not to Have Early Reviews?

In most cases, not sending out review copies is a bad sign. This typically means the developer is trying to hide something, most likely bugs, performance issues, or just an unfun game. Gollum and Mindseye are two games with no reviews, and these proved to be terrible and full of issues. Some developers also set a review embargo for the same day as release, which often leaves the same impression on players.

However, Hollow Knight: Silksong deserves the benefit of the doubt. The game has spent seven years in development, with most of that time spent among the most anticipated and wish-listed games of all time. It seems almost impossible for Hollow Knight: Silksong to be bad. Impressions at Gamescom from the demo are positive, and this is just a taste. What fans have experienced has been said to be similar to Hollow Knight, and if the sequel is even a fraction as good, fans are in for a treat.

Schreier reported in his article that the seven years of development were not due to issues, but rather Team Cherry adding content to the game and ensuring everything was how it wanted. With a three-man team, development took time, and the studio was focused on getting Hollow Knight: Silksong right and making it fun.

While it is possible that Hollow Knight: Silksong fails, it seems highly unlikely. It may never reach the acclaim and love that Hollow Knight received, but Team Cherry almost certainly has a winner on its hands. In a year with so many possible GOTY candidates, one has to expect that Hollow Knight: Silksong will be among them, reviews or not.