You’ve seen the memes. The clown makeup. The years of "hollow" hope every time a Nintendo Direct or an Xbox showcase flickered onto a screen. For a long time, it felt like Hollow Knight: Silksong was a collective fever dream we all shared, a game that was announced in 2019 and then just... drifted into the void. Then came August 21, 2025.
Jason Schreier, the guy who usually breaks the news about game studio collapses or toxic workplace cultures, dropped a bombshell on Bloomberg. But it wasn't a "everything is on fire" story. It was the opposite. The Jason Schreier Team Cherry interview basically revealed that the developers were having a little too much fun to bother with things like "deadlines" or "marketing."
Honestly, the reality is way more wholesome than the "development hell" theories fans spent five years cooking up.
Why Silksong Took Seven Years (And Why TC Stayed Quiet)
The big takeaway from Schreier's deep dive? Scope creep. But not the bad kind where a project falls apart. Ari Gibson and William Pellen, the two main brains at Team Cherry, just kept finding cool stuff to add. It started as a DLC for the original Hollow Knight. Then it became its own game. Then that game became "as big or bigger" than the first one.
"We’ve been having fun," Gibson told Schreier. That’s it. No mysterious lawsuits. No internal team drama. Just two guys in Adelaide, Australia, tinkering with a world of bugs until it felt right.
The Communication Gap
People were mad. Let’s be real. The silence from Team Cherry was deafening. But when you read the Jason Schreier Team Cherry report, you realize they weren't being malicious. They just didn't see the point in saying "we're still working on it" every three months.
🔗 Read more: Among Us Spider-Man: Why Everyone Is Still Obsessed With These Mods
Pellen mentioned that they didn't even know the release date (September 4, 2025) until a week or two before they put the final trailer out. They worked until they were personally satisfied. It’s a luxury most game devs—trapped in the gears of Ubisoft or EA—would literally kill for. No Jira boards. No middle management. Just vibes.
The Post-Launch Reality in 2026
Since the game finally dropped last September, it has been a juggernaut. It crossed five million players in just three days. That’s wild for an indie sequel, even one with this much hype.
But Team Cherry isn't done.
If you were worried they’d disappear for another seven years, there's actually some news. They’ve already confirmed a massive expansion called Sea of Sorrow. It’s nautically themed, because apparently, Hornet needs to suffer underwater now too.
- Release Window: Scheduled for 2026.
- Price: Free for all Silksong owners (keeping that same energy as the first game).
- Platform Updates: A "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" of the original Hollow Knight is also coming this year.
Schreier’s reporting really highlighted how different this studio is. Most companies would have charged $70 for Silksong and $20 for the DLC. Team Cherry kept the price "reasonable" and is sticking to the "content packs are free" model that made them legends in the first place.
💡 You might also like: Why the Among the Sleep Mom is Still Gaming's Most Uncomfortable Horror Twist
What Most People Get Wrong About the Delay
There was a huge rumor that Team Cherry ran out of money. Or that the pandemic killed the project.
The Jason Schreier Team Cherry interview debunked all of that. They were financially stable the whole time. The pandemic did slow things down—Ari and William have lives, after all—but it wasn't the "end of the studio" moment Reddit thought it was.
The most "controversial" thing Schreier found was that the team didn't send out early review codes. Why? Because they thought it would be unfair to the Kickstarter backers who had been waiting since 2014. They wanted everyone to experience the "Silksanity" ending at the exact same time. It’s a move that probably cost them some day-one review scores, but it earned them massive respect from the core community.
The "Sea of Sorrow" and Beyond
As of January 2026, the team is back from their holiday break and "beavering away" (their words) on the expansion.
But what happens after Hornet’s journey is truly over?
📖 Related: Appropriate for All Gamers NYT: The Real Story Behind the Most Famous Crossword Clue
Schreier asked them if they’re making Hollow Knight 3. The answer was a pretty firm "not right now." They want to explore a new IP. Something different. Still big worlds, still weird characters, but maybe a different genre. Imagine a Team Cherry RPG or a puzzle game. Whatever it is, they’ve earned the right to take as long as they want.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Devs
If you’re still working your way through the Citadel in Silksong or waiting for the physical release (which is still a bit up in the air despite the rumors), here’s what you need to keep in mind:
- Ignore the "early 2026 physical" leaks: Most of these are coming from AI-generated sites. Team Cherry hasn't confirmed a date for a boxed copy yet. Keep an eye on Fangamer; they usually handle the legit stuff.
- Beta Branches: If you're on PC, you can actually access beta branches on Steam for the original Hollow Knight right now. They've added 16:10 and 21:9 support for Steam Deck and ultrawide users.
- The "Schreier Method": If you're a developer, the lesson from Team Cherry isn't "don't talk to your fans." It's "build a business model that allows you to be creative." They own their IP. They don't have a publisher breathing down their necks. That is the only reason Silksong turned out the way it did.
The Jason Schreier Team Cherry interview wasn't just a news piece; it was a snapshot of a studio that refused to play by the industry's rules. They took seven years because they could. And looking at the 2026 Game Developers Choice Awards nominations, it clearly paid off.
Stay tuned for more updates on Sea of Sorrow as we get closer to the summer. Just don't expect a lot of tweets from the devs in the meantime—they're probably just having too much fun.