Hollow Knight: Silksong was finally released yesterday and broke just about every digital retailer that was selling it. However, despite now being available to savvy gamers for absolutely free, gamers who have openly supported piracy are making an exception for Silksong, based on the good will developer Team Cherry has earned in the community.

Hollow Knight Silksong has generated significant attention in the gaming community, reaching nearly half a million concurrent players on Steam and causing multiple storefronts to crash. Notably, even members of the piracy community are advocating for purchasing the game to support developer Team Cherry, citing the studio's reputation and fair pricing.

The game is available on a wide range of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox, and is also accessible through Game Pass subscriptions. Team Cherry's approach of making the game widely available at a reasonable price has been praised, and the studio prioritized Kickstarter backers by not distributing early review copies. Additional updates in the gaming world include news on upcoming Superman and Spider-Man films.

Hollow Knight Silksong is so special, pirates won't steal it

Happy Friday, everybody! Max here, and on today's fix, Hollow Knight Silksong is such a big deal that pirates are actually encouraging people to pay for it. Meanwhile, we got some cool updates from Superman, Man of Tomorrow, and Spider-Man, Brand New Day. Let's get into it. Okay, so as of recording this episode, the only thing anyone is talking about in the gaming space is Hollow Knight Silksong. Yesterday, we told you how it managed to crash multiple storefronts, and on Steam alone, it peaked at almost half a million concurrent players, putting it behind only Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2, and making it, not a big deal, just the 29th most played game of all time on the platform. Now bear in mind, that's just one of the platforms it's available on. PC players also had the option to grab a DRM-free version from goodoldgames.com, and unsurprisingly, it didn't take long before that version got cracked and wound up on various piracy sites. What is surprising, is that members of the piracy community came forward to encourage other prospective players to actually pay for the game to support the devs, instead of downloading it illegally. Several members of the rpiracy subreddit confessed to acquiring the game the old-fashioned and legal way. A user named pyrokzg said it was the first game that they'd bought on release day in a decade, with others chiming in to say it was their first time doing that, period. Oftentimes, players who pirate games do eventually buy a copy legitimately, either because they're suddenly better off financially, or because they enjoyed the game so much that they wanted to repay, or I guess actually pay, the developer for their work. In Silksong's case, Team Cherry's reputation and track record has earned them that goodwill up front. As redditor noshape6503 puts it, So yeah, it's kinda wild to see Team Cherry's revolutionary business model paying off. They worked really hard on a game for years, and then they made it available, in as many places as possible, with minimal bulls**t, for the reasonable price of 20 bucks. What a concept! Anyway, Hollow Knight Silksong is out now for basically everything. It is playable on Windows, Mac, and Linux, through Steam, GOG.com, or IGN's sister site, Humble, and it's also on all of the Playstations, Switches, and Xboxes. Meanwhile, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can get it at no extra cost. If that all still sounds too good to be true, go check out IGN's review in progress for what we think of the game. And the reason it's a review in progress, and not a complete review, is because nobody got early copies, because Team Cherry wanted their Kickstarter backers to play the game before anyone else. And that's just another reason people want to support them. Since there's basically no other gaming news besides Silksong, here's what's going on in the world of superhero sequels. Earlier this week, James Gunn announced that his Superman follow-up will be titled Man of Tomorrow, and it'll be hitting theaters July 9th, 2027. Yesterday, he teased that the current, ongoing season of Peacemaker will be setting up the sequel. In an Instagram post, Gunn wrote, What's odd is that between now and July 2027, there are several other DCU projects slated to release. The Supergirl movie hits theaters next June, the Clayface movie premieres in September, and then the HBO Lantern series is supposed to drop at some point in 2026. One fan questioned how closely Peacemaker Season 2 would be setting up the next Superman film, and Gunn replied, Meanwhile, over in the MCU, a new menace has been terrorizing the producers of Spider-Man Brand New Day, Tom Holland himself. In the past, Holland has been one of the best sources of MCU leaks, blurting out spoilers or accidentally revealing key details during interviews, and while he's gotten a bit more buttoned up about that, it sounds like he is still running his mouth a bit behind closed doors. Speaking to Ladbible, Holland discussed how in addition to donning the tights on screen, he'd been taking a more active role behind the scenes, saying, I have been actively sifting through the internet and trying to best understand what it is that the fans want from a Spider-Man movie, and that's been my driving force in these pitch meetings. I think the producers, at times, were like, absolutely sick of me, but I think it's really important, because we make these movies for the fans. Spider-Man Brand New Day is currently in production, and fans have had plenty to talk about, with the news that Jon Bernthal and Mark Ruffalo would be reprising their roles as the Punisher and the Hulk respectively, but we'll have to wait until next summer to find out how it all comes together. Spider-Man Brand New Day hits theaters June 31st, 2026. That is your fix of Silksong and superhero news for Friday, September 5th, 2025. If you haven't yet picked up the Hollow Knight sequel, you can grab a copy over on IGN's sister site, Humble, and while you're there, you can grab eight other incredible games for just $14.99, including WWE 2K25, Destiny 2 Legacy Collection 2025, The Plucky Squire, and Return to Monkey Island. It'll be available until October 7th, and every purchase supports Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization that unites military veterans, first responders, and civilians to deliver aid where it's needed most. By joining in, you're not just building your library, you're helping communities recover and rebuild. Oh, and if you're stuck in Silksong, having trouble with a boss, or wondering which collectibles to hunt down first, go check out IGN's Silksong Guide on the front page of IGN.com, and as always, for all of your gaming news, guides, reviews, all that good stuff, you know where to find it, IGN. Have a great weekend, everybody. Go play some video games. Thanks for watching.

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