Hell is Us director calls Silksong’s surprise release “a little callous”

Hell is Us

Hell is Us creative director Jonathan Jacques-Belletête has spoken out about Hollow Knight: Silksong’s sudden release announcement, describing it as "a little callous" and admitting it had an impact on his own game’s launch.

Rogue Factor’s adventure game Hell is Us was already locked in for release on September 4 when Team Cherry dropped the surprise bombshell at Gamescom to launch on the exact same day.

Speaking on Skill Up’s Friends Per Second podcast, Jacques-Belletête explained that when a game of that size shadow drops, it inevitably shakes the industry.

"When you know you’re that big, I think a shadow drop is a bit like – wow," he said. "As the 'GTA 6 of indie, to shadow drop something like this is a little callous."

The Hell is Us team even considered moving their release date after Silksong’s announcement. Discussions with publisher Nacon took place, but ultimately, changing the date wasn’t simple. Jacques-Belletête noted that pushing it back would have meant refunding pre-orders, something no developer wants to deal with right before launch.

Even so, he admitted that Silksong’s arrival did overshadow Hell is Us. "I don’t have any specific numbers, at least not at this time. But for sure it did," he said.

The director pointed out that finding a release window in today’s packed market is harder than ever. "Fifteen years ago, the mid-end of summer was a dead period. Now it’s just constant madness."

Silksong’s launch didn’t just affect Hell is Us. Other titles like Demonschool and Baby Steps delayed their releases to avoid clashing with Team Cherry’s highly anticipated sequel. While Silksong’s release wasn’t a traditional shadow drop, it was announced just two weeks before launch, and the scale of the hype meant studios had almost no time to react.

At the end of the day, Jacques-Belletête admits Team Cherry had every right to do what they did. But his candid words underline how unpredictable release schedules can be in 2025. And honestly, we’ve all seen how one massive launch can send shockwaves across the entire industry.

So, what do you think? Was Silksong’s sudden release date announcement unfair to other devs, or just part of the game in today’s crowded market?