In the wake of Hollow Knight: Silksong finally arriving and putting the spotlight back on Hallownest, fans are already hungry for whatever comes next from Team Cherry. The studio, however, is very clear about one guiding principle for the future: instead of building a chain of numbered sequels, every new Hollow Knight game should stand on its own and simply “coexist” with the previous ones.

Over the past few weeks, the Hollow Knight universe has once again become one of the most cherished settings in the industry, thanks to its distinctive atmosphere, intricate level design and carefully layered storytelling. With the long awaited launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong, players are already looking ahead, eager for more content and wondering what form Team Cherry’s next projects might take.

Right now, we have no idea what new lands they might visit, which fresh characters they could introduce, or whether upcoming titles will present themselves as direct follow ups or as standalone adventures in the same world. However, in a recent interview with ACMI, lead developers Ari Gibson and William Pellen explained that Silksong was deliberately designed to “exist alongside” the original Hollow Knight, meaning that you can dive into this new chapter without any prior knowledge of the series.

According to the studio, their next project will follow that same line of thinking, with games built to be enjoyed independently, without demanding that you play anything else first. Team Cherry’s aim is to keep the Hollow Knight franchise accessible while also protecting the distinct identity that made it so beloved in the first place.

This philosophy mainly benefits newcomers, since it lets them enter the universe with whichever title they like and still follow the story without feeling lost, even if long time fans will naturally pick up more references and lore details. “We had an idea for a game we wanted to make, and we wanted it to be the best version possible,” Pellen explains (via Eurogamer).

“And if there were ever other [games], we would hope they all followed that same pattern: that the saga consists of games that simply exist side by side.” Gibson adds that the original Hollow Knight and Silksong “really complement each other”, each offering its own take on the universe while still feeling closely connected.

Even so, it is worth stressing that Team Cherry’s next game has not been announced, so its setting and structure remain a mystery. If it does return to this universe, what we can already infer is that it will be crafted as a self contained experience, one you can enjoy without having played Silksong or any other entry beforehand.

In the meantime, Team Cherry will continue preparing additional content for Silksong in the coming months, and we will learn more about their plans for the Hollow Knight world as those updates and future projects are revealed.

Source: 3djuegos