Every time I write about Silksong, I feel as though I’m inching closer to an abyss of madness from which there is no return. Each article starts the same—a rite for the uninitiated, an explanation that yes, this game really was announced in 2019, and yes, it really was stated to be coming out “in the next 12 months” in 2022, and yes, fan hopefuls really did wait three more years for a hilariously short clip in a 2025 Nintendo direct promising a release date this year with zero other specifics.
Now, from the bottom of a well of conspiracy, a scrap comes tumbling down the cobbled walls: There’ve been more SteamDB changes that… wait holy crap, these might actually mean something.
As spotted by eagle-eyed industry buff Wario64 on X, several SteamDB updates have been published for Hollow Knight: Silksong, which have quickly gained traction as a deep hit of hopium on the unfailingly unhinged subreddit, with nary a “silkpost” flair in sight.
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The main meat is the introduction of achievement languages, which are a pretty good sign the game’s nearing completion—you generally don’t decide what achievements are going to be notable, then translate them unless you’re pretty certain you won’t be making any more structural changes to your game.
Even more hype came down the pipeline when some depots changed. A depot, as explained by the Steamworks documentation, is “a logical grouping of files which are all delivered to a customer as a single group”, which then gets “downloaded and ‘mounted’ on their local drive” when you download a game. The last time one of these depots changed was in 2019, when the game was first announced.
While I don’t think user HHrnz, who spotted the change, is exactly right when they say “This is pretty much confirmation that the game is complete and ready to have its release date announced,” it is a sign that something is going on. And as a resolute skonger, something is always able to be everything.
I’m about to call an utterly unfounded shot, with zero basis in reality and all the hope of someone shouting ‘Kobe!’ from halfway down the court, but, just think about it—Summer Games Fest is coming up. Heaps upon heaps of trailers and events and showcases. What is the funniest thing that Team Cherry could possibly do after six entire years of anticipation?
A shadow drop. Just… put it out there. After all, who needs pithy things like press releases or developer diaries when you’ve got a swarm of feverish hollows clamouring for your next game? The Switch 2 is here. The ground is ripe, and the marketing does itself in a resounding swarm of skong.