Hollow Knight: Silksonghas become synonymous with patience and waiting. It was announced on June 16, 2025, and since then, we’ve had a handful of updates, delays, and a lot of irate fans demanding they see it pop up in every Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox Direct. Of course, Team Cherry, the exceptionally talented folks developing it, have been extremely hard at work, and will release it when it is ready. After all,Silksongis never late; it arrives precisely when it means to. In other, non-LOTR-related words, a late game is better than a rushed one.
However,Silksong’sofficial release date, or at least, release window, has finally been revealed, meaning that the wait, as long as it has been, will soon be over. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for another indie game sequel, which fans have been waiting for even longer thanHollow Knightfans were waiting forSilksong. It may seem hard to believe, butwith no release date in sight, this indie game sequel easily surpassesSilksong’sdevelopment time, and there are plenty of reasons as to why.
N1RV Ann-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action Has No Release Date
It Was Announced Back In 2018
N1RV Ann-Abegan production all the way back in 2017, which was over eight years ago. That’s a long time for any game to be in production, making it one of thelongest game development periodsever, rivaling even the wait forGTA 6. It was meant to release back in 2020, with the exceptionally small team of just two people working tirelessly on it post the release of the incredibly successfulVA-11 Hall A. However,in 2020, the developer, Sukeban Games, uploaded a blog post to its officialwebsiteannouncing that it would be delayingN1RV Ann-A.
Interestingly,N1RV Ann-Awas delayed indefinitely, which worried fans. The game was given a WID (When It’s Done) release date rather than even a vague release window, and the developer has since remained silent on its development. According to the 2020 blog post, Sukeban Games' manager, Fernando Damas, was “heavily burned out” by the game’s initial development period, due to “insisting on being the sole programmer.” As a result, development was slowed down until more team members were brought on board, at which point, at the start of 2020, “code for the game [had] to be rebuilt from scratch.”
There was also “an internal conflict on how the story should go,” which took a while to resolve, although it ultimately led to a “far better” version of the story. All ofthese development changes and problems, in addition to the team growing and learning, while dealing with personal issues, led to the game’s development continuing, but in the background, away from the public. The team also began working on additional projects, numerous shorter games that it released, and participated in game jams.
In 2023, Sukeban Games posted anotherblog postwhich gave very little detail aboutN1RV Ann-A’sdevelopment, beyond that it was still happening. Fans have since wondered just when they’ll see it finally come out, although their worries haven’t stopped it from being one of themost-anticipated indie gamesin recent memory. However,its lengthy delay has been a shame, not just because fans would have liked to have seen it released earlier, but because its predecessor,VA-11 Hall-A, was such a huge successand a critically acclaimed masterpiece.
A VA-11 Hall-A Sequel Should Have Been A Slam Dunk
The First Game Was Critically Acclaimed
VA-11 Hall-A, which was released in 2016, was a huge success for its developer, both commercially and critically. It currently sits with an “Overwhelmingly Positive” score onSteamthanks to more than 31,000 reviews, 97% of which are positive. It got 83% onMetacritic, making it easily one of thebest indie gamesof all time, and certainly within the 2010s. It has since garnered a huge following that has enjoyed its many spin-off titles, such asVA-11 Hall-A KIDSandVA-11 Hall-A: SAPPHIC PUSSY RHAPSODY.
Crucially, the game sold exceptionally well too. According to a 2017blog poston the developer’s official website,VA-11 Hall-Ahad sold 150,000 copies a year after launch, which is amazing for an indie game of its size and budget. By 2020, according toVGChartz, the game had sold 600,000 copies. This was after the developer had set a sales target of just 6,000 copies. The commercial and critical success ofVA-11 Hall-Apropelled it through the charts, and built a lot of momentum around it and its developer.
N1RV Ann-Awill arrive when it is ready, much likeHollow Knight: Silksong.
That’s why there was so much buzz around the sequel,N1RV Ann-A, and why many are disappointed that we’ve not heard much. However,one has to remember that Sukeban Games is a small development team dealing with its own problems. Indie game development is hard, even after a successful game, which is why it’s admirable that the team is still hard at work on it. It wants to make it the very best game it can so that it can rival thegreatest modern indies.N1RV Ann-Awill arrive when it is ready, much likeHollow Knight: Silksong.
It’s Been Long, But At Least Hollow Knight: Silksong Is Almost Here
It Is Meant To Release This Year
Hollow Knight: Silksongwas announced all the way back in 2019 and quickly climbed to the top of everyone’s most-anticipated games list. It was coming off the back of the immensely successful and influentialHollow Knight, which, naturally, had everyone extremely excited. However,likeN1RV Ann-A, it receivednumerous delays, pushing it back from its original release date of 2023.Silksong’sunfortunate delaywas also somewhat indefinite, with Team Cherry not revealing a new release date, as well as remaining fairly tight-lipped about the project for quite some time.
That silence is likely what led to so much vitriol from a small subset of fans, as well as many demanding its appearance in practically every Nintendo Direct. Many hadgiven up onSilksongever releasing, which is not unlike how someN1RV Ann-Afans feel. However, again, Team Cherry was quietly working extremely hard in the background to getSilksongto a place where it was happy.Rushing a developer, especially smaller indie teams,is never a good ideaand it’s always important to respect their process and decision-making, even if it results in a much longer development time.
Fortunately, Team Cherry has announced thatHollow Knight: Silksongwill release in 2025. Of course,N1RV Ann-Afans continue to wait, and likely will for a long time, but if there’s anything to learn fromSilksong’sdelays and eventual release date, it’s that good things come to those who wait.N1RV Ann-Awill come when it’s ready, as the developers stated in 2020, and it will be the very best game that it can be, much like howHollow Knight: Silksongwill likely blow us away when it finally releases later this year.
