After Nintendo Direct no-show, Hollow Knight Silksong playtester throws fans a lifeline

Hollow Knight: Silksong
(Image credit: Team Cherry)

To the surprise of no one and to the dismay of many, Hollow Knight: Silksong did not make an appearance at the Nintendo Direct February 2023 showcase. Seeing hungry Hollow Knight fans put on their clown makeup once again, a playtester for the game has spoken up to give the community some hope as they pray for a *checks notes* Silksweep this year. 

Discord user Trustworthy Graig, a verified playtester for developer Team Cherry, said in a recent message: "I feel for you all, I really want this game to release ASAP and we testers are working hard to get it out to you, as well as [Team Cherry] of course. It will come and it is a glorious game worth the wait. Love you all." 

Does this tell us anything about when Hollow Knight: Silksong will finally be released? Absolutely not. But it is yet more reasonably credible evidence that the game is coming along well and isn't a figment of our imaginations. 

Silksong is expected to release this year, in no small part because Microsoft has called it a 2023 Xbox Game Pass title, with comments from one Xbox head implying it could launch in the first half of the year. Beaten down as they are, you can see why Silksong fans (hello, I'm fans) were hoping to see it at the recent Nintendo Direct, which explicitly focused on games launching in the first half of 2023. Alas, Silksong remains one of the great white whales of the current release schedule, but at least we've got the words of Trustworthy Graig for comfort. And come on, who wouldn't trust him? Clue's in the name! 

Here are the biggest new games of 2023 to keep on your radar. 

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.