Gamers frustrated as Hollow Knight: Silksong crashes stores on launch

Hollow Knight: Silksong, one of the most anticipated video games of the year, caused major problems for online game stores when it launched. The demand was so high that stores like Steam, Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox crashed, leaving thousands of gamers unable to buy the game. The issues started right after the game was released at 3:00 PM BST and continued for more than two hours.

Fans of Hollow Knight have been waiting for Silksong since the first game came out in 2017. The original game sold over 15 million copies worldwide, making the sequel highly sought after. When Silksong was released, Downdetector, a website that tracks outages, showed a huge spike in user reports, peaking at 3,750. Many fans were frustrated and criticized the stores for not allowing pre-orders, which they believed could have prevented the chaos.

Social media was flooded with posts from gamers sharing screenshots of error codes and messages they received while trying to buy Silksong. One common error on Steam read 'something went wrong, we were unable to service your request, please try again later. ' Humble Bundle, another digital store, even temporarily removed the game from its site due to overwhelming demand, but the issue was resolved later.

Despite the problems, the game's popularity was clear. Within just half an hour of launch, Steam recorded over 100,000 people playing Silksong, suggesting that many managed to buy it from other stores. Some gamers joked online that successfully purchasing the game was like beating a tough boss. Others expressed their disappointment, wondering how so many people were playing when they couldn't even buy the game themselves.

The Hollow Knight series is created by Team Cherry, a small indie developer based in Adelaide, Australia. Both games are side-scrolling adventures set in a fantasy world of fighting insects. Silksong features Hornet, a sword-wielding princess who was a supporting character in the first game. William Pellen, one of the developers, said in an interview that Hollow Knight's unique style helps it stay popular over time. He hopes Silksong will also have a timeless appeal.

The launch was so chaotic that even some game publishers struggled to buy the game. The excitement around Silksong shows how much people care about video games and how a small team can create something that captures the imagination of players around the world. The problems with the launch highlight the challenges of releasing a highly anticipated game, but they also show the passion and dedication of the gaming community.