"Hollow Knight: Silksong smashes 535,000 simultaneous players on Steam, marking one of the most colossal releases ever and almost 8 times larger than the initial game's debut"
In a stunning display of success, Hollow Knight: Silksong, the highly-anticipated sequel to the beloved Metroidvania game, has surpassed expectations on its launch day. The indie game, developed and published by Team Cherry, co-founded by Ari Gibson and William Pellen, has quickly become a sensation among gamers.
The game's rapid success is evident in its player count. Within just the first two hours of release, Hollow Knight: Silksong reached approximately 112,000 concurrent players. This number has since grown significantly, surpassing the previous top player count of Hollow Knight, which stood at 72,916, set only a day before. As of now, the game has surpassed 535,000 concurrent players on Steam, making it one of the most successful launches in Steam history for a Metroidvania sequel.
The game's price point of $20 and its status as an indie game, rather than a triple A warfare game or a free-to-play casual game, seems to have resonated with players. The dedicated fanbase, which the developers have affectionately dubbed the "Silksane," appears to be infatuated with the game, as suggested by its launch day success.
Comparatively, other games have reached similar or higher player counts. For instance, Banana, a clicker game, had practically 1 million people playing at one point. Apex Legends had a peak of approximately 624,000 players, while PUBG once had a staggering 3.3 million players. However, Hollow Knight: Silksong's success feels particularly earned due to its dedicated fanbase and the quality of the game.
Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and Path of Exile 2 have respectively reached all-time peaks of 1.9 million, 1.3 million, and 579,000 players according to SteamDB. While these numbers are impressive, they are still surpassed by Hollow Knight: Silksong's player count, despite facing serious e-shop outages. As a result, the game's player count is expected to potentially increase further.
The success of Hollow Knight: Silksong on its launch day is a testament to the power of a dedicated fanbase and the quality of indie games. As more players delve into the game's intricate world, it remains to be seen how high the game's player count will soar.
