With Hollow Knight: Silksong Out, many players celebrate unexpectedly a low price of USD 20. But some independent programmers indicate that it can be great, this can lead to unjustified expectations for other independent games that cannot afford to sell for such the lowest level.
This is due to many threads in social media from game developers, such as unrivaled, dorfromantyk and others. In one Blusky threadThe uncontrolled director of RJ Lake says Silksong should cost 40 USD, “and I’m not even kidding.”
But Lake is not nervous at Team Cherry for downloading 20 USD – it’s their perogative. But this will affect game recipients. As Lake explains:
“Millions of people will probably buy Silksong on the first day and it was a game that had a very” low “budget, because the budget is” these developers worked on it without direct remuneration for how long they wanted to do it, “writes Lake. “He had” these developers are independently a rich “budget” effectively zero dollars “.
“As a result, they can value, however low. Their return on investment is infinite regardless of what they do. But by downloading such a low amount, they cause that the brain signals of the lizards will slow down, saying:” this kind of game is worth twenty dollars. You should expect this game for twenty dollars. “
“If it is enough to apply about these lizards, some types of games with actual budgets to pay people who have to live, will be valued from their existence, unless they get organic grounding that you can’t plan”
Many other independent developers believe that the lake may be right here, including People from deck 13 AND Red Squirrel Games. Over on Twitter/x, Basti Games, developer Lone Fungus: Melody of spores, the audience asked how much a lonely mushroom should cost the Silksong price in the amount of USD 20. Basti originally also planned to create a lonely $ 20 mushroom. But because it is shorter than Silksong, should it be cheaper?
As a devoding smaller metroidvania than Silksong, which I would originally be at a price of $ 20 … What should I value now?
It will be 10-15 hours, but it was made by one person with a limited development time and funds, I can’t afford to give away for free. https://t.co/ffcgz6ti1z
– Lone Fungus (@bastiartgames) September 1, 2025
Fortunately for Basti, the most important answers encourage them to quote for 20 USD, if required. “Dude fee $ 20” – wrote one fan. “The price does not apply to the game of the context. They are able to value $ 20 for a larger game, because they would become a million times more than costs. You are a miniature company, the aged ones download $ 20, you deserve it”
Another wrote: “10-20 is completely just. IMO. Team Cherry could make Silksong 40 and continue to sell heated cookies, the fact that not only means they are frigid as fucking. Do not stick to giant standards, otherwise you will have to climb the stairs.”
Despite this, other developers are also worried. IN Eurogamer article On this subject, the co -founder of Dorfromantik Toukana, related to it, said that the next game in the studio, Star Birds, would have a valuation of Silksong.
“We try not to compete too directly with Silksong, both in terms of release date and prices. Of course, these are two very different games with potentially different player bases, but it is definitely some overlap. This makes everything complex, especially since Star Birds is a joint project between two studies, together hiring more people than the team.”
The prices of independent games were a historically difficult topic, because the teams balancing needed to ensure that all their members are properly paid, uncertainty as to the number of sales and the variability of recipients in deciding not to buy smaller games at prices, which they perceive as too high. Since the prices of AAA games climb from 60 to 70 USD to USD 80, the discussion was renewed on where India should fall – many cannot afford lower than USD 20, but many will also lose sales, if not.
“People now have less money and buy fewer games,” says Mike Rose, founder of No More Robots, “So you have to configure yourself to have one game they buy when they have money. And if you are a higher price, now it is a bit repulsive.”
