After seven long years, Team Cherry has finally confirmed the release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong. The highly anticipated sequel is set to arrive on September 4, and gamers everywhere are ready for the big day.
But not everyone is thrilled. Several indie developers have had to push back their own release schedules, unwilling to have their games overshadowed by the Silksong hype.
Ysbryd Games and Necrosoft Games were among the first to share their frustration. Their upcoming title, Demonschool, was set to launch on September 3, just one day before Silksong. In the end, they decided a delay was the safer bet.
In a statement, Ysbryd Games apologized to fans, acknowledging that Demonschool had already experienced multiple pushbacks. The team stressed that postponing it once more was not an easy decision but ultimately the right move. The new release date is now November 19, with a firm promise of no further changes.
“With 11 years under our belt as an indie publisher, we at Ysbryd Games are reasonably qualified to say that any point of 2025, on balance, has been or will be as brutal as market conditions can get when it comes to releasing a game. Crueler still, that we should find out with such short notice that Hollow Knight: Silksong will launch just one day after our planned release for Demonschool,” Ysbryd Games’ Brian Kwek said in a statement. “If the September period is going to be Silksong’s moment, then we need to be elsewhere on the calendar to give Demonschool its own moment to be seen and talked about meaningfully.”
Necrosoft Games echoed the sentiment, backing the decision and stressing that nothing else could be done to avoid a clash with “the GTA of indie games.”
“This was not our choice but we understand why the choice was made. We aren’t mad at Ysbryd but at the situation. Dropping the GTA of indie games with 2 weeks notice makes everyone freak out. Ysbryd is being a good partner and paying for the delay. We’re sorry this is happening,” the studio said.
They also reassured fans that the extra time would be put to good use. The team is using the delay to polish Demonschool, add additional endings, and implement minigames that were originally planned for a future update.
Other indie releases affected by Silksong
Demonschool is not the only title that has shifted dates. Little Witch in the Woods, originally set for September 4, will now arrive on September 15 courtesy of SUNNY SIDE UP.
Even Devolver Digital’s Baby Steps has been delayed. Scheduled for September 8 on PS5 and PC, it will now debut on September 23. The publisher marked the change with a trailer featuring the protagonist interacting with a statue of Hornet from Hollow Knight.
