Silksong’s Multiple Endings Should Risk Shaking the Hornet’s Nest

Not much is known about Hollow Knight: Silksong thus far, due in no small part to how secretive and quiet it’s been in the last six years, but over half a decade’s worth of speculation has led to logical expectations for the highly anticipated sequel. Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Hornet gameplay was revealed six long years ago, though, and more of the game is soon to be playable within the next two months at two separate events, as well, whisking players away to Pharloom and potentially confirming even more details that were previously unknown or undetermined.

It’s unknown how much will be disclosed about Hollow Knight: Silksong before it fully launches, which is still apparently sometime before the end of the year. But, one question that would initially seem obvious may not be as clear as it’d seem, and the answer to it would not only dispel a ton of theories but also inform players of what to expect about its endings. Indeed, Hollow Knight: Silksong is expected to have multiple endings, and whether or not the sequel is a literal, narrative sequel or a prequel will have huge ramifications for what those endings could look like.

If Hollow Knight: Silksong is a Sequel, It May Truly Be a ‘Swan Song’ for the Franchise

Silksong being a Hollow Knight sequel proper would appear to be the obvious route that Team Cherry is headed on. There are no canonical or non-canonical hard-and-fast truths about Hollow Knight’s multiple endings that would affect Silksong as a sequel or prequel, aside from some minor details and characters’ fates, such as Hornet’s fate in Sealed Siblings.

So, that distinction isn’t as clear as Crystal Peak, and won’t be until there’s actual confirmation one way or the other. If it’s an actual sequel to Hollow Knight’s story—and assuming Team Cherry isn’t interested in the idea of continuing the franchise, particularly if that meant committing to another decade in development—there are incredibly high odds that Hornet could die, at least in one of a handful of endings. That said, doubling down and killing Hornet in a ‘true,’ canon ending would be a definitive and epic way to end the Hollow Knight duology, even if that ending would also likely be a tragic one.

Hollow Knight’s endings include:

• The Hollow Knight
• Sealed Siblings
• Dream No More
• Embrace the Void
• Delicate Flower

The title ‘Silksong’ explicitly references Pharloom as “a land ruled by silk and song,” but has always been presumed as alluding to the franchise’s ‘swan song,’ and indulging in the latter would make for at least one tremendously evocative ending. Otherwise, additional endings will certainly be mined and dissected for any semblance of a threequel tease, much less foreshadowing for Hollow Knight: Silksong’s potential story DLCs.

If Hollow Knight: Silksong is a Prequel, It Might Hold Onto That for a Plot Twist Surprise

Story-wise, all that’s known is that Hornet has been captured and brought to Pharloom, with Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Steam page stating that “Hollow Knight: Silksong is the epic sequel to Hollow Knight.” However, ‘sequel’ in this sense could merely be literally referring to Silksong as the second entry in the series, regardless of when its story takes place.

Team Cherry has a lot of practice staying silent, and it’d be superb and unprecedented if Hollow Knight: Silksong was able to hide the fact that it was a prequel and have one or more endings leading directly into the events of the first game after ascending Pharloom. Frankly, with how little is known and how few strings can presently be tethered between both games, anything may be possible for the story in Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Released

2025

Developer(s)

Team Cherry

Publisher(s)

Team Cherry

Engine

Unity

Franchise

Hollow Knight