Team CherryEdit
Team Cherry is an Australian independent video game studio based in Western Australia. The studio rose to prominence with Hollow Knight, a 2017 metroidvania praised for its handcrafted art, tight real-time combat, and vast, interconnected world. By delivering a game of substantial scope on a small budget, Team Cherry helped illustrate how a small, entrepreneurially minded team can compete with larger studios in the global market for digital entertainment. The company later announced Hollow Knight: Silksong in 2019, a standalone sequel that has since been the subject of extensive fan attention and industry commentary, with updates but no publicly announced release date as of the present. Its games have been distributed primarily through digital channels such as Steam and the Nintendo eShop, and later on other major platforms including the PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store.
In the broader landscape of Indie game, Team Cherry embodies a combination of artistic ambition and prudent business practice. Hollow Knight demonstrated how a small outfit could secure global distribution, win critical acclaim, and sustain interest in a long-running project without the backing of a major publisher. This model—focusing on craftsmanship, careful pacing of development, and direct communication with a dedicated fan base—fits a traditional market-oriented approach where quality and audience alignment drive long-term success. The studio’s work is widely discussed within the context of Metroidvania design and 2D hand-drawn aesthetics, and it has become a reference point for boutique developers aiming to scale up from a single standout title into a broader series or expansion.
History
Origins and breakout hit
Team Cherry emerged in the Western Australian game scene as a small studio with a strong emphasis on art direction and tight gameplay loops. Hollow Knight, its breakout title, was released to broad acclaim for its cohesive world-building, challenging but fair progression, and distinctive hand-drawn visuals. The game was widely embraced by players on PC and later expanded to additional platforms, deepening the studio’s international profile. For readers exploring the series, Hollow Knight is documented as a high-water mark for independent teams achieving global reach through digital distribution. See Hollow Knight for a detailed overview of the game’s development, reception, and ongoing influence.
Sequel and ongoing development
In 2019, Team Cherry announced Hollow Knight: Silksong as a standalone follow-up. The project has been characterized by periodic updates and previews, but a firm release date has not been announced publicly in recent years. The pacing of Silksong’s development has become a talking point among fans, critics, and industry observers who weigh the tradeoffs between rapid iteration and delivering a product that meets high experiential standards. Discussion around Silksong often centers on how indie studios allocate resources, manage expectations, and communicate progress to a global audience. The situation has prompted comparisons with other long-gestating projects in the Indie game space and has fed into broader debates about development timelines and consumer patience in a competitive digital market.
Design philosophy and gameplay
Hollow Knight is celebrated for its tight controls, methodical combat, and expansive, non-linear world. The game blends elements from platformers and action-adventure titles, emphasizing exploration, discovery, and risk-reward decision-making. The visual style relies on a hand-drawn, atmospheric aesthetic that supports a moody, immersive atmosphere without sacrificing clarity in crowded combat sequences. The soundtrack and world-building reinforce a sense of place that few games in this genre match. The sequel, Silksong, is anticipated to continue in this vein, with expectations that Team Cherry will pursue refinement and scale while preserving the core design sensibilities that defined the first game.
Reception and influence
Hollow Knight received widespread critical acclaim and became a touchstone in the indie scene, admired for its design integrity and depth of content relative to its budget. Its commercial performance helped validate the viability of small teams producing high-quality, long-tail hits that sustain cultural relevance beyond the initial release window. The game’s influence is evident in discussions of modern metroidvania design, 2D art pipelines, and the viability of digital-first distribution strategies for indie titles. The ongoing discussion around Silksong reflects the interest in how an indie studio can transition from a singular breakout title to a durable franchise, and it has spurred renewed attention on the economics and management of small development studios in a global market.
Controversies and debates
The most persistent controversy surrounding Team Cherry relates to development pacing and release expectations for Hollow Knight: Silksong. After the initial announcement, fans and observers have debated whether the studio’s development cycle reflects deliberate prioritization of quality over speed, or whether communication and transparency with the consumer base could have been better managed. From a market-oriented perspective, proponents argue that patience can be rational when a project aims to deliver a premium experience rather than a rapid, lower-cost product; the long horizon gives the team room to iterate, polish, and avoid distributing a product that fails to meet established standards. Critics, including some who wish for quicker entry into the market, contend that delayed releases can dampen momentum and raise questions about project management. In some cases, these discussions touch on broader industry dynamics—how indie studios balance creative ambition with sustainable production cycles, how much information to reveal before release, and how fan communities influence the perceived value of a project. Where debates arise, observers often emphasize the importance of a clear product vision, disciplined development practices, and choosing to deliver a finished, high-quality game rather than bowing to external timelines or hype.
Within these debates, supporters tend to view Team Cherry as a case study in disciplined craft and market resilience. They argue that the company’s focus on creating a distinctive, high-quality experience—rather than chasing trendy trends or overextended marketing campaigns—aligns with traditional entrepreneurial instincts: invest in a product you believe in, test it thoroughly, and release when it meets your own standards. Critics sometimes dismiss the wait as excessive, yet supporters argue that the payoff is a more lasting impact on the genre and a stronger brand for the studio.