Silksong Might Be The Biggest Indie Release Ever, But Could Stardew Valley Dev’s Next Game Top It?

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Without a doubt, the buzz surrounding Hollow Knight: Silksong surpasses any we’ve witnessed for an indie game in the past. In the run-up to its launch, several smaller development teams postponed their games to avoid clashing with Silksong. Typically, only AAA titles like Grand Theft Auto get such treatment. The game’s release caused Steam and the Nintendo eShop to crash, a factor that can be attributed to the lack of pre-orders. On Valve’s platform alone, it reached a peak of 587,000 simultaneous players. The game was also launched on PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and Switch 2, and is available on Game Pass. Given these facts, the total number of players for Silksong is massive, confirming that internet speculation and excitement about its success were indeed accurate.

Given all that’s been discussed, it seems doubtful that any independent game will rival Silksong’s launch in the future. However, as Yoda once put it, “Learn we must, the ways of the Force. Unlearn what you have learned.” In other words, while it may be hard to find another indie game with a similar impact, there is always room for something new and unexpected.

An intriguing independent game that has the potential to captivate the entire gaming community is the sequel to Stardew Valley, called Haunted Chocolatier. While not a direct follow-up to the beloved farming simulator, Haunted Chocolatier mirrors its visual style and promises a broader game world. The creator, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, hints that it will be an RPG where players inhabit a haunted castle and produce chocolate by collecting ingredients. Similar to Stardew Valley, it’s classified as a “town game.” However, Haunted Chocolatier veers more toward the action-RPG genre, and there’s even speculation that it could be set in the same world as Stardew Valley.

The game Haunted Chocolatier was unveiled towards the end of 2021, making the anticipation for its release span several years – much like Silksong. Barone has hinted that the game will center around mystery and charm, which is intriguing to those who enjoy unearthing secrets individually and through online platforms. However, what truly suggests that Haunted Chocolatier will be a significant event upon its launch is evident from a quick look at Stardew Valley’s active players on SteamDB. This farming simulation game has consistently had 100,000 concurrent players in the past month and, despite being released as early as 2016, it saw over 235,000 people playing simultaneously just last year.

It’s clear that Hollow Knight and Stardew Valley attract different crowds on Steam, with Stardew Valley having a large number of dedicated players who frequently return to the game, contributing to its continued popularity. Although Hollow Knight is a solo game while Stardew Valley offers co-op multiplayer, it could be that Stardew Valley’s larger fanbase gives it an advantage, potentially propelling games like Haunted Chocolatier to even more success than Silksong has already achieved.

Another aspect to think about is this: If Haunted Chocolatier turns out to be as successful as Stardew Valley on Steam, it might initially launch only for PC and then spread across various platforms like mobile devices. Moreover, since the co-founder of Devolver Digital, Nigel Lowrie, has shown interest in Haunted Chocolatier, there’s a possibility they could adjust their release plans to accommodate it.

Although some might think they can predict the successor of Silksong, history shows us that such predictions can be off base. For instance, who would have thought Hollow Knight would become a sensation? Just look at this Reddit post from a decade ago to see people’s initial thoughts on the game. Similarly, many unexpected games have risen to fame on Steam. Consider Palworld, which saw over 32 million players since its release in early 2024 – an astonishing figure. Even Banana, a seemingly simple game about clicking on a fruit, has captured the attention of around 100,000 players daily on Steam. Yes, being free-to-play certainly boosts those numbers, but few would predict that a game focused on a piece of fruit could maintain long-term engagement. The allure of collecting rare bananas and potentially selling them for real money is undeniable.

Lately, there’s been another instance of this trend with a cooperative climbing game named Peak. Unlike Haunted Chocolatier and Silksong in terms of development, Peak was created during a month-long game jam, with the concept initially proposed by co-developer Aggro Crab.

What appears certain is the indie gaming world will keep delivering one-of-a-kind adventures to us, some arriving years later, others seemingly manifesting instantaneously. Could Silksong be a rare occurrence, something that won’t happen again? Or might it simply be another milestone moment, destined to be eclipsed eventually but never forgotten by those fortunate enough to witness it.

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2025-09-09 01:10