Hollow Knight: Silksong Developer Won’t Send Out Early Review Codes

After years of waiting, believing and denying, Team Cherry finally provided a September 4th release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong. It still feels unreal, but in case you’re one of those who are still on the fence and waiting for pre-launch reviews, just know that they’re not coming.

Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who recently spoke to the team about the title’s long development process, posted on Bluesky that, “In case you’re wondering: Team Cherry told me they don’t plan on sending out early codes for Silksong (they felt like it’d be unfair for critics to be playing before Kickstarter backers and other players), so don’t expect to see reviews until after the game comes out.”

The reasoning is odd but not exactly out of the ordinary. Schreier also believes this isn’t the only reason. “They also mentioned that it’d take a lot of time to get codes and distribute them, etc, and they’re a tiny team with lots to do in the next two weeks.”

You could argue that it doesn’t need the reviews, especially given all the hype. The Metroidvania will also be available on day one for Game Pass for those who don’t want to pay full price. Regardless, it’s something to consider if you’re wondering whether it meets expectations.

Hollow Knight: Silksong will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2 at launch. It will also support the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X, which launch on October 16th.