Team Cherry

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Team Cherry
Private
IndustryVideo games
Founded2014; 12 years ago (2014)
Founders
  • Ari Gibson
  • William Pellen
Headquarters
Adelaide, South Australia
,
Australia
Key people
Jack Vine
Number of employees
3[1] (2025)
Websiteteamcherry.com.au

Team Cherry is an Australian indie game development studio based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 2014 by Ari Gibson and William Pellen, the studio is best known for developing and publishing the critically acclaimed Metroidvania video games Hollow Knight (2017) and its sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025).

History

See also: Hollow Knight § Development, and Hollow Knight: Silksong § Development The team started off with game jam titles, with the Ludum Dare 2013, having the company's later founders, artist Ari Gibson and web designer William Pellen, alongside Rohan Fraser, develop the small title Hungry Knight under the name "Team Cherry", Its main character, who kills bugs to starve off starvation, had its design reused for the Hollow Knight protagonist.[2][3] The game, considered "not very good", used to hold a 1/5 star rating on Newgrounds.[2] Another game developed by trio, Tomb Cat, was released on 23 September 2013.[4][5]

The developers decided to work on another game jam with the theme "Beneath the Surface", but missed the deadline. However, the concept gave them the idea to create a game, spawning the underground-set Hollow Knight.[2][6] It was revealed on Kickstarter in November 2014, with a goal of A$35,000. The game greatly passed this goal, allowing its scope to be expanded, with them hiring David Kazi as a technical director, and contracting Matthew Griffin for marketing and publishing, and Christopher Larkin for its soundtrack.[2][7]

It released in February 2017 to positive reviews,[2] and sold over 65,000 copies by the end of March 2017.[8] Kazi later left the team,[9] with his role replaced by Jack Vine.[10] Free downloadable content was released throughout 2017 and 2018,[11][12] and console ports were released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One throughout 2018.[13][14]

Hollow Knight: Silksong began development as downloadable content for Hollow Knight, but it greatly grew in scope, leading Team Cherry to announce in 2019 that it would become its own fully-fledged sequel.[15] Development continued for over 6 years, though the team described the process as enjoyable. Throughout its development, Hollow Knight continued to grow in popularity; it had sold 2.8 million copies when Silksong was announced, while it sold roughly 15 million by August 2025.[16] Silksong was a success, selling over 7 million copies by December 2025; free DLC is in development, with one expansion scheduled to release in 2026.[17]

A December 2020 interview showcased Gibson stating that a non-Hollow Knight game that was in the early ideas phase, with him noting that it was similar to Hollow Knight, but had differences like the weapon used during combat.[18] In a November 2025 interview, Gibson stated that while Team Cherry "won’t [never] return to these Hollow Knight worlds", they "don’t want to be exclusively people that make Hollow Knight." He stated that they instead wanted their next game to be "maybe in a slightly different genre, [and have a] slightly different theme".[19] Outlets have reported that Team Cherry filed video game-related trademarks for "Fearless Fox" in 2019 and 2023.[20][21]

Games

List of games developed by Team Cherry
Year Title Platform(s) Notes
2013 Hungry Knight Browser game Free game developed prior to the company's official founding in 2014 by its later founders, under the development team name "Team Cherry".
Tomb Cat
2017 Hollow Knight
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Nintendo Switch
    • PlayStation 4
    • Xbox One
 Released for Xbox and PlayStation as Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition.
2025 Hollow Knight: Silksong
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PlayStation 4
    • PlayStation 5
    • Xbox One
    • Xbox Series X/S

Other media

List of games developed by Team Cherry
Year Title Media Description Publisher References
2017 Hollow Knight First Chapter: Quirrel Comic book Hollow Knight prequel following supporting character Quirrel. Self-published [22][23]
2019 Hollow Knight: Wanderer's Journal Short Novel In-universe illustrated guide of Hallownest from a character. Fangamer [24][25]

Reception

See also: Hollow Knight § Reception, and Hollow Knight: Silksong § Reception While their initial flash games were met with poor reviews,[2] both of Team Cherry's commercial games have been given critical acclaim,[26] both winning and getting nominated for multiple awards,[27] including a Silksong nomination for The Game Award for Game of the Year.[28] Their development process has been praised, with Shacknews ranking them as the best developer of 2025; writer Sam Chandler wrote that "in an industry full of crunch and microtransactions, it's refreshing to see a studio like Team Cherry win despite only doing it for the love of the craft."[29] Austin Wood of GamesRadar+ was "glad" that they enjoyed development without issues, contrasting the industry at large.[30] Eurogamer's Ed Nightingale noted that they are "in stark contrast to [the] so many other studios at the moment hell-bent on chasing trends and generating cash in the face of rising development costs".[31]

Their communication throughout Silksong's development was met with mixed opinions, as they would often go "radio silent".[32] While Griffin would occasionally reconfirm its development, critics like John Walker of Kotaku stated that while "it’s better than nothing", "it’s not exactly useful information" and "are not exactly comforting words".[33] The lack of bigger updates caused some to believe it was in development hell.[34] Anthony Franklin II of Vice was "fine" with their silence, stating "I prefer to simply know [something] is coming ... when it gets here, it gets here."[35] The founders have stated that they did not provide many substantial updates to avoid spoilers, and to avoid "sour[ing] people on the whole thing".[16] PC Gamer writer Harvey Randall disagreed with Team Cherry,[36] while The Gamer's Tessa Kaur wrote that "I wish more dev teams could disappear off the map to work on what they want to, too."[37]

The low pricing of Silksong caused some controversy, as some critics and developers believed it would force other developers to also lower their price to match Silksong despite Team Cherry having more financial freedom.[38][39][40] Others, including critics and software pirates, praised it, finding it to be a good contrast to the commonly high-priced titles in the industry,[41][42] with praise also being given to their free expansions.[43] Their reveal of the game's release date two weeks before release was criticized by Polygon writer Ari Notis, who wrote an article about how the short notice caused other indie developers to have to delay their games last minute to avoid being overshadowed.[44] While reporting on Gibson revealing that the team did not know the date until close to launch, PC Gamer's Tyler Corp indirectly disagreed, suspecting the short notice of its release date "provided a good enough excuse" for delays.[45]

References

  1. ↑ Birt, James (September 15, 2025). "Hollow Knight Silksong: how 3 people in Australia made the world's hottest game". The Conversation. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Milner, David (18 October 2018). "The Making Of Hollow Knight". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  3. ↑ "Hungry Knight!". Newgrounds.
  4. ↑ Ofner, Claudia Susanne (2021). Play Me a Story: Storytelling in the Metroidvania Game Hollow Knight (PDF) (Master's thesis). Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  5. ↑ "Tomb Cat". Newgrounds.
  6. ↑ Warr, Philippa (30 September 2015). "State of the Art: The Elegiac Beauty Of Hollow Knight". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  7. ↑ Team Cherry (July 5, 2016). "NEW ADDITION TO THE TEAM, AND RELEASE UPDATE". Team Cherry. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  8. ↑ Team Cherry (28 March 2017). "HUGE HK ONE MONTH UPDATE". Team Cherry. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  9. ↑ Serin, Kaan (2025-09-07). "OG Hollow Knight technical director says Team Cherry remain silent because their "work ethic is off the charts" and they're probably "over at the office working" right now". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  10. ↑ Team Cherry (17 July 2017). "GODMASTER RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCED!". Team Cherry. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Rafiq, Ahmad (11 September 2025). "These are the Best Expansions for Hollow Knight". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  12. ↑ Khan, Imran (26 August 2018). "How To Access Hollow Knight's Godmaster DLC". Game Informer. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  13. ↑ Wales, Matt (12 June 2018). "Hollow Knight is out on Switch today". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  14. ↑ Vincent, Brittany (11 September 2018). "Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition brings the action to PS4 and Xbox One this month". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  15. ↑ Stark, Chelsea (14 February 2019). "Hollow Knight developers announce a full sequel, Silksong". Polygon. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Schreier, Jason (21 August 2025). "Why 'Silksong' Took Seven Years to Make". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Cardy, Simon (16 December 2025). "Hollow Knight: Silksong - Sea of Sorrow Expansion Revealed, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Original Hollow Knight Also in Development". IGN. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  18. ↑ Simpkins, Jen (31 December 2020). "Edge Magazine February 2021 Issue". Edge. p. 62. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  19. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (28 November 2025). "After Silksong DLC, Team Cherry Is Thinking About Making a Brand New Game Rather Than Hollow Knight 3 — Their Only Time Concern Is a Morbid One: 'Death'". IGN. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  20. ↑ Doolan, Liam (2 February 2023). "Hollow Knight Dev Files New Trademarks For 'Fearless Fox'". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  21. ↑ Brown, Andy (1 February 2023). "'Hollow Knight Silksong' developer files mysterious trademarks for "Fearless Fox"". NME. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  22. ↑ Wales, Matt (12 March 2019). "Hollow Knight's physical release is back on, includes fancy Collector's Edition". Eurogamer. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  23. ↑ Team Cherry (19 November 2014). "Hollow Knight by Team Cherry". Kickstarter. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  24. ↑ Jenkins, Dwayne (17 May 2025). "While I Wait For 'Silksong', I May As Well Yap About The 'Hollow Knight' Collector's Edition I Bought From Fangamer (…Review?)". Vice. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  25. ↑ Fangamer; Team Cherry (2019). "Hollow Knight - Wanderer's Journal". Fangamer. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  26. ↑ Critic reviews of both games:
  27. ↑ "Best Platformer of 2017: Hollow Knight". PC Gamer. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  28. ↑ Maas, Jennifer (November 17, 2025). "The Game Awards Nominations 2025: 'Clair Obscur: Expedition 33' Becomes Most-Nominated Game Ever With 12 Nods". Variety. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  29. ↑ Chandler, Sam (30 December 2025). "Best Developer 2025: Team Cherry". Shacknews. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  30. ↑ Wood, Austin (21 August 2025). "The Hollow Knight: Silksong arc needs to be studied and remembered: a small team of happy devs were just "having fun" making their game, not burning out, while the internet imploded". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  31. ↑ Nightingale, Ed (21 August 2025). "No, Silksong Hasn't Been in Development Hell, and Hype Skyrocketed Sales of the Original Game to Give Team Cherry Financial Freedom". Eurogamer. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  32. ↑ Ivan, Tom (20 January 2025). "Team Cherry Breaks Hollow Knight: Silksong Radio Silence – Yes, It's Real, Progressing, and Will Release". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  33. ↑ Walker, John (20 January 2025). "Hollow Knight: Silksong Developer Sends Proof Of Life". Kotaku. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  34. ↑ Randall, Harvey (21 June 2024). "The Hollow Knight: Silksong delirium reaches its pitchfork stage as former playtester saying the game isn't 'in dev hell' gets eviscerated for it". PC Gamer. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  35. ↑ Franklin II, Anthony (30 December 2024). "Hollow Knight: Silksong – It'll Be Ready When It's Ready, and I Like That". Vice. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  36. ↑ Randall, Harvey (21 August 2025). "Why did Team Cherry's devs stay so quiet about Hollow Knight: Silksong? 'All we could really say is, we're still working on it', so they stopped doing that". PC Gamer. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  37. ↑ Kaur, Tessa (26 August 2025). "I Wish More Developers Could Go Silent Like Team Cherry Did". The Gamer. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  38. ↑ Valentine, Rebekah (5 September 2025). "Indie Developers Are Worried Silksong's $20 Price Tag Will Make It Harder to Price Their Games". IGN. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  39. ↑ Purchese, Robert (4 September 2025). "Is Hollow Knight: Silksong's Cheap Price a Problem for Other Indie Games? Devs and Publishers Weigh Up Its Impact". Eurogamer. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  40. ↑ Reynolds, Ollie (5 September 2025). "I Can't Afford to Give It Away for Free: Silksong's Low Price Is Causing Devs to Re-Evaluate Their Own Games". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  41. ↑ Woods, Austin (21 November 2025). "Silksong is shockingly cheap at just $20, but Team Cherry says it just tries to "price the games at a reasonable level for people," man". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  42. ↑ Phillips Kennedy, Victoria (5 September 2025). "Hollow Knight: Silksong Is So Popular Even Pirates Are Urging Others Not to Pirate the Game". Eurogamer. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  43. ↑ Blazewicz, Jacob (16 December 2025). "They didn't conquer TGA, but they were still very successful. Now they are thanking the fans in the best possible way". Gamepressure. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  44. ↑ Notis, Ari (27 August 2025). "The gaming industry deserved more lead time before Silksong". Polygon. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  45. ↑ Corp, Tyler (28 November 2025). "Silksong devs felt they didn't 'have a lot of control' over its release date and sympathize with all the games that were delayed to avoid it: 'To some extent that probably is unfortunate'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 31 December 2025.

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