Hollow Knight: Silksong causes server chaos on Xbox, Steam, and Nintendo

Server outages and launch dynamics

• Silksong’s launch briefly overwhelmed Xbox, Steam, and Nintendo store infrastructure, cited as an example that even huge platforms struggle with intense, short-lived spikes.
• Commenters note this is economically rational: overprovisioning for rare peak loads isn’t worth it if total launch-month revenue is largely unchanged.
• Some argue a crash is almost free publicity: “so popular it broke Steam” likely doesn’t deter buyers.

Preorders, piracy, and ethics

• Lack of preorders and preloads concentrated demand into a single instant, unlike most AAA launches.
• Suggestions: short preorder windows to spread load, or encrypted preloads with keys released at launch.
• Others say preorders are mostly bad for consumers, and the studio is praised for avoiding them and keeping the price low.
• There’s debate over whether preorders are controlled by platforms or developers, and how Steam’s preload system actually works.

Indies vs AAA, pricing, and “art”

• Hollow Knight is widely described as “art,” with standout atmosphere, music, level design, and coherence despite simple 2D visuals.
• Many see it as a pinnacle metroidvania and an example of small studios outshining AAA titles that chase safe, repeatable formulas.
• Its low price and huge sales are discussed as a “unicorn” indie success; some doubt a higher price would have done better.

How and whether to play the first game

• Strong consensus: you can start with Silksong, but you should play Hollow Knight first because it’s excellent and Silksong appears harder.
• Story is viewed as oblique and lore-heavy rather than mandatory; gameplay, exploration, and atmosphere are the main draw.
• Long subthread on guides: some say use one to avoid burnout or time sink; others argue that guided play defeats the core exploration joy and “type II fun.”

Why Silksong is so big (and pushback)

• Fans emphasize: sequel to a beloved “indie darling,” six-plus years of development, and meme-fueled anticipation built on trust in the original’s craftsmanship.
• A few players found Hollow Knight merely “above average” or mediocre compared to other platformers, and are puzzled by the level of hype, likening it to old Mario/Donkey Kong–style games.

Infrastructure, payments, and distribution tech

• Some are surprised a mature platform like Steam still chokes on payments; responses cite payment processors, strict auditability, and sequential constraints as bottlenecks.
• P2P/torrent-style distribution is discussed; seen as technically feasible but adding complexity with limited benefit, especially since CDNs usually handle downloads fine and the real bottleneck here was checkout.