Online stores experienced temporary outages as massive player numbers surged on the launch day. The game launched to hundreds of thousands of eager players, all logging in even before the traditional workday concluded. Years of anticipation and intense fan excitement preceded the release. The actual quality of Hollow Knight: Silksong seems almost secondary at this point; the Metroidvania adventure has already achieved remarkable success based on the sheer enthusiasm. This fervor explains why fans are revisiting an old Reddit post from a decade ago, a period when the broader gaming world first discovered the initial game crafted by a dedicated duo from Australia. The Reddit post title stated: “Last year my best friend quit his full time job to chase his dream and make a fully fledged video game. Today he just released a trailer and it looks beyond amazing.”
For those unaware, the Reddit thread featured an early look at Hollow Knight, revealed two years before its official release in 2017. Although the trailer mainly showcased introductory areas and enemies, it effectively conveyed the game’s melancholic atmosphere and distinctive, insect-themed world. This concise thread quickly gained prominence, reaching the number two spot on r/all, potentially exposing it to over 120 million Reddit users.
The initial response within the r/gaming community was overwhelmingly positive. However, according to the original poster, once the thread reached a wider audience, a shift occurred. Critics and doubters emerged, casting shadows on the game’s prospects.
One popular comment read: “I watched the trailer and still felt like it was just another side-scrolling puzzle platformer combat game with RPG elements I’ve seen many times before.”
The commenter later added, “What is there to get excited about?”
This negativity began to permeate the thread, leading to debates about whether this unknown indie game truly had a chance at success.
Another commenter remarked, “I’m sure it’s a decent game, but the market is currently overflowing with side-scrolling platformers, so I doubt his game will do as well as he hopes.” The third most popular comment simply stated, “It looks like any other platform game.”
Not everyone was harshly judging Hollow Knight; some aimed for a more objective perspective. As one commenter put it, “It’s a genre where it’s very hard to stand out.”
Indeed, Steam saw over 2,800 game releases in 2015 alone, averaging nearly eight new titles per day. Although Hollow Knight was still a couple of years away from release, the competition for attention only intensified with each passing year.
Consider the overall gaming landscape of 2015. It was a stellar year with releases like the groundbreaking Arkham Knight, the highly influential Witcher 3, and the return of the Fallout series. However, for some indie developers, the outlook was bleak. The closure of Xbox Live Arcade, a platform that had launched classics like Braid and Super Meat Boy, had occurred a few years earlier. The free-to-play model had become prominent, even challenging some major studios. On r/gamedev, concerned creators were discussing a potential “indiepocalypse” that threatened the survival of smaller games.
As one frustrated game developer wrote at the time, “Making a good game isn’t even enough anymore.” Even if some recognized the potential of Hollow Knight in 2015, there was no guarantee it would surpass genre-defining games. A plausible alternative scenario existed where Hollow Knight wouldn’t receive the recognition it deserved, regardless of its quality or the developers’ passion. To illustrate, the thread that initially exposed Hollow Knight to a large audience is structured in a way that has since become a common marketing technique on Reddit. Similar posts appear almost weekly, often promoting projects that initially seem unremarkable.
Now, a decade later, we know the incredible success of Hollow Knight, a game now jokingly called the Grand Theft Auto 6 of the indie world. The landscape for Silksong is dramatically different. Other indie games must now compete against Hollow Knight’s prominence, particularly smaller studios creating games inspired by the gothic Metroidvania. Numerous similar games, such as Nine Sols, have already been overshadowed.
We can now laugh at the naysayers who couldn’t foresee the potential because, unlike many indie games that fade into obscurity, Hollow Knight’s story had a triumphant ending. The original poster who ignited the initial discussion can now upload another thread for Silksong with a knowing smile.
The 2025 Reddit post reads: “Ten years ago, my best friend quit his full-time job to pursue his dream of making a fully fledged video game. He just released a trailer, and it looks absolutely amazing.”
This time, everyone is in on the joke.
The top comment reads, “Honestly, with all the side-scrolling platformers out there, I’m not sure if your friend’s game will take off. But I wish him luck.”