September Shuffles: Indies Adjust Dates Near Silksong’s Launch

Three titles reschedule around Team Cherry’s release window to avoid getting buried.

Not many indie titles get called “a phenomenon,” but Hollow Knight: Silksong has been given that honor by the developers of Aeterna Lucis. This title was bestowed upon Team Cherry’s upcoming Metroidvania after Team Cherry revealed September 4th as the Hollow Knight: Silksong release date. The fact that Hollow Knight: Silksong is so close is a welcome surprise for gamers and developers alike, even if that meant other indie games taking a bow to give Team Cherry center stage. We were also tracking other September indies, including Shape of Dreams ahead of its September 11 launch. Links: Silksong official blog (date/trailer), Steam, GOG.

Release trailer

Trailer: Team Cherry / Rumble

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Release: 4 Sep 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie

Developer / Publisher: Team Cherry

Platforms: PC (Steam), GOG, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch

Aeterna Lucis Has Been Pushed Back to 2026

Aeternum Game Studios released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) discussing how their side-scrolling adventure game has been a passion project for the last four years. The game was slated to come out in September 2025, and still says as much on its Steam page. The developers say the game is finished, yet they pushed the journey back to next year.
Links: Aeternum’s X post, Steam, Gematsu.

Seeing a supposedly finished game delayed at least four more months because of Hollow Knight: Silksong is surprising. Even more surprising, Aeterna Lucis isn’t the only one to take this route.
Links: Team Cherry blog (Silksong date).

Slot Machine Roguelite Clover Pit’s New Release Date is September 26

In a bit more of a tongue-in-cheek statement, Panik Arcade announced that their game Clover Pit will wait out the first few weeks in September before releasing on September 26. Unlike Aeterna Lucis, Clover Pit has a few more adjustments to make, so releasing it earlier to get around Hollow Knight: Silksong wasn’t an option.
Link: Official Steam news post

Faeland is No Longer Releasing on September 9

RPG Faeland also made the difficult decision to delay their full release, originally set for September 9.

Between Aeterna Lucis and Clover Pit, though, Faeland is an early access game. Developers Talegames merely pushed back its version 1.0 release to avoid competing with Hollow Knight: Silksong. They want their passion project to launch when players can devote the “care and attention” Faeland deserves.
Links: Faeland Steam news, Talegames X.

Needless to say, as welcome as Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release is, indie developers are talking about the sudden announcement. These three games have openly congratulated Team Cherry on their hard work while also making sure to get their own creative ventures out of the line of fire. Indie developer Dietzribi, the creator of Toodee and Topdee and Deep Snake, highlights this issue with a joke post suggesting time travel is why Toodee and Topdee avoided releasing at the same time as Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Link: Dietzribi’s post on X.

Time Has Always Been Money – The Importance of Release Dates

It’s easy for many people to see release dates as a celebration. It’s a day to finally enjoy an experience they’ve spent a year — or seven, in Hollow Knight: Silksong’s case — waiting for.

Why timing matters

The truth is, a lot goes into choosing a day to launch a game. For big publishers, they weigh previous data on sales periods like the December holidays. For indie games, it could come down to something as simple as a whim or a “what if.” No matter what, all video games look to when other titles are coming out to make their choice.

Example: release windows collide

An easy example to look at is 2025’s large amounts of racing games. Mario Kart World’s June release window led to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds releasing in September. Kirby Air Riders didn’t fall too far behind with a November release window, but it still gave itself space behind CrossWorlds.

How this hits indies

Now, picture these three games as if they were indie games. Take away how well-known Mario, Sonic, and Kirby are. Picture fans of Sonic having to find out that the blue blur has a new game coming out through social media posts. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is getting out of early access with a new racing update. Now, suddenly, a new Mario game is announced to be releasing in two weeks.

Even the biggest games have to make sure they time themselves right where players have time and money to invest in their adventures. For indies, this is heightened. They rely on sales for player retention and funds for things like DLC. Hollow Knight: Silksong is a rare indie game that’s managed to capture attention that rivals the likes of Kirby, Mario, and Sonic. Avoiding its pull is important for the growth of any indie games that nearly came out too close to it.

No blame — just strategy

Of course, the fact that three or more indie titles got pushed back isn’t something to blame Hollow Knight: Silksong for. Aeterna Lucis, Clover Pit, and Faeland all pushed their release dates back while openly congratulating Team Cherry on a job well done and another game finished. After all, beneath Hollow Knight: Silksong’s popularity and wide praise, it’s still an independent game. Other indies know what Team Cherry had to go through to get to where they are today, and through that connection, they tend to stick together. That doesn’t change even with a few delays.

Related reading: Kill Knight Review

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