The Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 was generally well received by gamers. Major games like Diablo 4 and Starfield were presented. However, when looking at which trailers were the most popular, a relatively inconspicuous title has a clear lead: Hollow Knight: Silksong.
The Xbox showcase by Microsoft and Bethesda on June 12, 2022 showed some great games. Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, Redfall, Starfield – these are all big names and games with a lot of hype.
However, the most popular game of the showcase, measured purely by the view counts on YouTube, is Hollow Knight: Silksong. This is not only due to the beautiful graphics, smooth gameplay, and great music in this short but impressive trailer. Behind this game lies a massive hype that largely plays out away from the AAA industry.
You can marvel at the incredibly popular trailer of this 2D platformer here:
What is surprising is not only that this relatively small indie game managed to succeed against such strong competition. The significant gap with which it secures 1st place is also remarkable.
Hollow Knight: Silksong clearly beats other games on YouTube
What are the numbers? Anyone comparing the view counts of the videos from the event on the YouTube channel of Xbox will be surprised. Currently (as of June 13, 10:33 AM), these are the numbers for the supposedly biggest names in the presentation:
- Redfall: about 156,000 views
- Overwatch 2: about 94,000 views
- Diablo 4: both videos (Necromancer Cinematic Trailer & Developer Showcase) together about 234,000 views
- Starfield: about 215,000 views
All in all, very impressive, so shortly after the event. However, here are the numbers from the indie game:
- Hollow Knight: Silksong: about 553,000 views
Thus, Hollow Knight: Silksong alone has more views than a total of 3 trailers for Starfield and Diablo 4 combined. Even fans of the game might need to pinch themselves.
The first gameplay trailer for the game since 2019 is here, and fans are hungry for it. And the trailer does not disappoint. In the YouTube comments, people say among other things: ‘I never thought it possible, but this looks even better than the first Hollow Knight.’
What kind of game is it? Hollow Knight: Silksong is the sequel to the 2D platformer Hollow Knight, which was released in 2017 and has captivated fans and critics to this day.
With a mix of Soulslike and Metroidvania gameplay, beautiful graphics, and dense atmosphere, the game scored 90% on Metacritic and a full 97% on Steam. The game costs 15 € and offers enough content to keep you entertained for at least 40 hours.
Hollow Knight has thus developed into an absolute cult hit. Accordingly, the hype for the sequel is gigantic in certain parts of the gaming community. At times, it even resembles the anticipation surrounding Elden Ring.
The hype around Hollow Knight: Silksong resembles Elden Ring
Why do players feel reminded of Elden Ring? After the announcement at E3 2019 of the latest FromSoftware game, there were many long months without a peep. There were even memes claiming that Elden Ring was a big prank and that it would never come. At the unveiling of the first real gameplay trailer at the E3 2021, fans went absolutely wild.
Similarly, the situation is with Hollow Knight: Silksong. Initially planned as an expansion of Hollow Knight where you can take on the role of the character Hornet, it was officially presented as a full-fledged sequel in February 2019.
Since December 2019, there have been only sporadic confirmations from the developer that Silksong is indeed still in development, but players have been hungry for more.
Almost every indie game presentation, whether from Nintendo or Sony, was dominated by one question beforehand and in the stream chat: ‘SILKSONG WHEN?!’ Now it has finally happened, surprisingly at Xbox.
When is the game coming out? There was no release date, but Hollow Knight: Silksong is expected to be released within the next 12 months. It will also be available on Game Pass from day one, but will also release on other platforms.
Hollow Knight: Silksong would be the second game from the small Australian indie studio Team Cherry. The first was Hollow Knight.
In addition to Hollow Knight: Silksong, 36 other games were presented that should be available on Xbox and PC within 12 months. This also applies to Silksong, although it does not appear on the official graphic:
All 36 games coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2022 and 2023
