Category: Gaming

Key Takeaways

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong launched successfully, breaking Steam records with over 500,000 players online simultaneously and receiving an overall positive rating of 82%.

2. A coordinated effort by Chinese players to review bomb the game due to ‘poor translation’ has resulted in a “Mixed” rating for the Simplified Chinese version, with only 44% positive reviews.

3. Localization expert critiques highlight that the Chinese version distorts the game’s tone, comparing it to a “high-school drama club’s Elizabethan improv night.”

4. Steam’s new policy to separate reviews by language has helped protect Silksong’s global rating from the negative impact of the Chinese backlash.

5. Despite translation issues, the core gameplay of Silksong remains highly praised, with many Chinese players expressing their love for the game itself.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong saw an amazing launch, setting Steam records with over 500,000 players online at once and causing several digital stores to crash. The sequel to the popular Metroidvania game received high praise in most areas, achieving an overall positive rating of 82%.

Review Bombing by Players

Yet, players who speak Chinese have started a coordinated effort to negatively review the indie game. This has dropped the Simplified Chinese rating to “Mixed,” with only about 44% of reviews being positive. This backlash is due to what players call ‘poor translation,’ which distorts the game’s intended tone and atmosphere, ruining the experience for many.

Localization Issues

Localization expert Loek van Kooten has stated that the Chinese version of Silksong changes the game’s “evocative yet concise writing” into something akin to “a high-school drama club’s Elizabethan improv night.” Players have shared that the dialogue feels like it’s lifted from ancient Chinese literature, using old-fashioned phrases that seem very out of place.

A review from a Chinese player on Steam mentions, “Your speech lacks integrity, your words don’t connect, and your so-called elegant phrasing is merely forced invention.”

Impact of Steam’s Policy Change

Recently, Steam introduced a policy to separate reviews by language, which has helped keep the Chinese backlash from heavily affecting Silksong’s global rating. If this hadn’t happened, the controversy might have severely hurt the game’s overall image, especially since Chinese users now make up the largest group on Steam.

Team Cherry’s marketing rep, Matthew Griffin, promptly responded to the situation on social media. He admitted that there were issues with translation quality and assured players that improvements would come “in the next few weeks.” However, this response led to more criticism, as players called for a complete overhaul of the translation instead of just minor adjustments.

Core Gameplay Remains Praised

Even with the translation problems, the main gameplay of Silksong has been praised universally. Frustrated Chinese players have even said they “love” the game itself. It’s still unclear what actions Team Cherry will take to enhance the experience for the Chinese audience.

 

Key Takeaways

1. Record-Breaking Launch: Hollow Knight: Silksong peaked at 562,814 concurrent players on Steam, surpassing its predecessor significantly.

2. Widespread Availability: The game launched at a price of $19.99 on multiple platforms, leading to server delays due to overwhelming demand.

3. Positive Reception: With over 41,000 reviews on Steam, 90% of which are “very positive,” player engagement remains high.

4. Streamer Impact: The game attracted 362,000 viewers on Twitch within its first day, becoming the eighth most-watched category.

5. Setting New Standards: Silksong’s success is expected to influence future indie game releases, raising expectations in gameplay, pricing, and launch strategies.

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Indie Metroidvania game, Hollow Knight: Silksong, has achieved a remarkable peak of 562,814 concurrent players on Steam, with a steady count of 412,000 active users, as reported by SteamDB. The Australian team of three at Team Cherry released a sequel that quickly climbed into Steam’s all-time top 20, outpacing the original by a significant margin.

Price and Popularity Surge

The game’s price of $19.99 and its launch on platforms like Xbox Game Pass, Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 attracted millions of players, causing a rush that overwhelmed all major stores at launch. Steam, Nintendo eShop, and PlayStation Store experienced server delays due to the massive surge in downloads. Additionally, player engagement has been supported with over 41,000 reviews on Steam, with 90% marked as “very positive,” and a following of 448,000 on SteamDB.

Streamer Influence

Adding to the excitement, well-known streamers and esports figures played the game, resulting in Silksong gathering 362,000 combined viewers on Twitch. It became the eighth most-watched category within its first day of release.

A New Benchmark

With player numbers and reviews consistently exceeding 410,000 even days after launch, Silksong has established a new standard for indie game releases in a competitive market. Future indie games will likely take cues from this success, raising expectations regarding gameplay, pricing, and launch strategies throughout the industry.

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