Six years after Team Cherry announced Hollow Knight: Silksong, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2017 Metroidvania masterpiece, fans are still eagerly awaiting its release. Numerous appearances and disappearances at gaming events, and even a seemingly confirmed pre-June 2023 release from Microsoft, have left fans on tenterhooks. The absence of Silksong at The Game Awards fueled speculation, but the recently announced Nintendo Switch 2 Direct has reignited hope.
This renewed optimism stems from a seemingly innocuous detail: a chocolate cake.
Sharp-eyed fans on the Hollow Knight subreddit noticed that on January 15th, Team Cherry co-director William Pellen changed his Twitter/X profile picture to a photo of a chocolate cake. He accompanied the change with the tweet: "something big is coming. keep your eyes closed tomorrow."
something big is coming. keep your eyes closed tomorrow
— little bomey (@everydruidwaswr) January 16, 2025
With rumors of a January 16th Nintendo Switch 2 reveal circulating, the timing was striking. The Switch 2 announcement indeed followed, leaving many wondering if Pellen's cryptic message hinted at the reveal.
The Hollow Knight community then embarked on a fervent investigation. Reverse-image searching the cake picture led them to a Brooklyn Blackout Cake recipe on Bon Appétit, published on April 2nd, 2024. The significance? Nintendo confirmed a Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 for Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025. This fueled the theory that Pellen initiated an alternate reality game (ARG) with the cake tweet.
The speculation didn't end there. Fans are dissecting Pellen's new X/Twitter handle, @everydruidwaswr, and his new name, "little bomey." One compelling theory suggests the handle's 15-character length (matching Twitter's limit) and the potential significance of "wr" (possibly part of a larger word) in relation to a Silksong NPC, the Druid of the Moss Temple. The "little bomey" moniker is linked to a Southern Australian wine, aligning with Team Cherry's location, although the spelling differs.
It's crucial to remember that Hollow Knight: Silksong's initial announcement confirmed Windows, Mac, Linux, and Nintendo Switch releases. However, six years later, the possibility of a Switch 2 launch title, or even a timed exclusive, remains a compelling, albeit unconfirmed, possibility. Is this all elaborate fan speculation, or a cleverly orchestrated ARG?
Only time will tell. We have a few months until the April 2nd Direct to find out. Until then, the mystery of the cake, the handle, and the name continues to captivate the Hollow Knight community.
Is the cake a lie? Image credit: Bon Appétit.