Key Highlights
- Hollow Knight officially surpasses 15 million copies sold around the world
- Its creator, Team Cherry, celebrates this moment ahead of Hollow Knight: Silksong
- This game wooed players with a perfect combination of action and storyline, creating impressive gameplay
Team Cherry’s popular Metroidvania masterpiece, Hollow Knight, has officially surpassed 15 million units sold worldwide.
Hollow Knight has sold 15 million copies according to Team Cherry.
That makes it one of the most successful indie games ever.
As a reminder, the original Hollow Knight was made by just three people. pic.twitter.com/54eYK7uiAw
— KAMI (@Okami13_) August 21, 2025
The announcement was shared via the studio’s official social media channels on Thursday. This shows a major milestone for the Australian-based developer.
Hollow Knight Witnesses Steady Growth
Just over 7 years after its initial release, Hollow Knight has been gradually attracting players into its hauntingly beautiful world of Hallownest. It proves that quality storytelling and unique gameplay can achieve success without blockbuster budgets like GTA 6.
Team Cherry, which is a small team of just three developers, was founded in 2014. It revealed the sales figure during a casual update post on X (formerly Twitter).
“From the depths of Hallownest to your hearts—thank you for 4 million adventures!” the post read.
This achievement comes at a time when the indie scene is buzzing with anticipation for Hollow Knight: Silksong. It is the long-awaited sequel that has been in development for nearly as long as the original’s lifecycle.
The game was launched on February 24, 2017, for PC via Steam. After the launch, Hollow Knight quickly attracted a loyal fan base for its attractive 2D exploration, challenging combat, and storylines. It comes with a theme of “decay and resilience.”
Many reviewers have praised its impressive gameplay, where players control a silent knight who explores an underground kingdom filled with forgotten bugs and ancient secrets.
The game holds a 90% positive rating on Steam from over 170,000 user reviews. It also holds Metacritic scores of the high 80s across various platforms.
After the initial success, its expansion through Godmaster (2018) has improved the gaming experience with new bosses and difficulty modes. This helps creators to sustain momentum.
However, the sales trajectory has been steady rather than explosive. This steady graph shows the game’s organic growth with great community engagement.
Initial sales hovered around 500,000 in the first year, but ports to Nintendo Switch (2018), PlayStation 4, and Xbox One (2019) broadened its reach.
By 2020, it had crossed 2 million, fueled by the indie gaming boom during the pandemic when players sought deep, solo experiences. Recent figures from analytics firm VG Insights suggest Hollow Knight generated over $100 million in revenue, impressive for a title that launched at $15 and has rarely gone on sale below $10.
This milestone isn’t just about numbers—it’s a boon for Team Cherry’s future endeavors. The studio has been tight-lipped about Silksong, revealed in 2019 during Nintendo’s E3 showcase, but hints of progress have trickled out.
A recent interview with developer Matthew Griffin in Edge magazine revealed that the team is “deep into polishing” the sequel, which promises a larger world and the playable character Hornet from the original’s DLC.
Fans, a passionate bunch active on forums like Reddit’s r/HollowKnight, have speculated about delays due to the small team’s ambitions, but the 4 million mark could provide the financial stability needed to push forward.
Industry experts view this as a win for the Metroidvania genre, which has seen a renaissance with titles like Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Dead Cells. ” Hollow Knight redefined what a solo-dev project could achieve,” said indie analyst Jane Kowalski of Newzoo. “It’s a reminder that in an era of $70 AAA behemoths, there’s room for artful, affordable gems that resonate emotionally.”
Kowalski also emphasized how the game has influenced newcomers, as studios have used it as an inspiration at conferences such as GDC 2023.
But there were other difficulties with this title as well. Early bugs were encountered by Team Cherry, who adjusted difficulty spikes in response to community feedback. This is a common procedure to increase player loyalty.
Fans who care about the environment value the studio’s low marketing presence, which depends on natural shares and YouTubers like ChristopherOdd, whose playthroughs have received millions of views.
