Hollow Knight is now recognized as one of the greatest indie Metroidvania games ever made, but it nearly became something much smaller—a 2-hour arcade-style project. According to a resurfaced interview with Team Cherry, the 2017 hit started off as a passion project with incredibly humble ambitions.
In a recent interview with Source Gaming, developers Ari Gibson and William Pellen revealed that Hollow Knight was originally scoped to be a very small experience. The game was only expected to last around two hours, and the team even debated lowering their Kickstarter goal due to its modest scope.
Their initial Kickstarter funding goal was AU$35,000, and even that felt like a stretch for a project that was, at the time, envisioned as minimal. The team even considered reducing the goal by AU$5,000, fearing they were aiming too high for such a compact idea.
From Modest Origins to a Masterpiece
Once the Kickstarter campaign gained traction and players started backing the vision, the project began to grow organically. Encouraged by the wave of support and creative freedom that followed, Team Cherry expanded the game’s design, story, and worldbuilding.
The result? A massive, hauntingly beautiful underground world known as Hallownest, full of memorable characters, challenging bosses, and deep lore that captured the hearts of millions.
Since launch, Hollow Knight has sold over 3 million copies, received several free DLC expansions, and now stands as a benchmark for indie game excellence. It also paved the way for the highly anticipated sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, which continues to dominate fan conversations.
The Power of Community in Game Development
This story highlights a growing trend in indie development—player-backed funding and feedback can completely reshape a game’s destiny. What started as a tiny project became a timeless classic, all thanks to fan enthusiasm and support. So the next time you’re backing a promising indie title on Kickstarter, remember: you might be helping shape the next Hollow Knight.
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