Australian Game Hollow Knight Sells 7M Copies Worldwide

Three Australian creators working as Team Cherry have turned their hand-animated indie game into a global phenomenon that literally crashed online marketplaces when fans rushed to buy it.

Hollow Knight: Silksong launched in September 2025 after seven years of development, selling more than 7 million copies worldwide. What started as a simple downloadable expansion grew into a standalone masterpiece that earned composer Christopher Larkin a nomination for Best Score at the 2025 Game Awards.

Larkin's intricate soundtrack has become such a beloved part of the game that it's now getting the full orchestra treatment at live performances at ACMI in Melbourne. The Australian composer used stringed instruments as a metaphorical silk thread throughout the entire score, representing the silk-woven world of Pharloom where anthropomorphic insects live and battle.

"In pretty much every track where there are strings, they're the kind of thread throughout the whole score," Larkin said. He worked closely with musicians from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra to push boundaries, even making string players sound as heavy as metal guitars in some battle sequences.

The composer took creative risks that paid off beautifully. For one boss fight called Fourth Chorus, Team Cherry developer William Pellen actually acted out the boss movements before the game graphics were ready, allowing Larkin to compose music based purely on conversation and movement.

The Ripple Effect

The success of Hollow Knight: Silksong is shining a spotlight on Australia's independent game development sector. "It really showcases the types of games that are made here and the fact that we can be making this kind of impact at an international level," said ACMI public programmer Arieh Offman.

Larkin blended synthesized digital sounds with organic instruments, drawing inspiration from impressionist composers Ravel and Debussy alongside film composer Danny Elfman. The result is a soundtrack that works both during intense gameplay and as standalone concert music.

Even Larkin didn't predict how massive the game would become, though he knew Team Cherry had built a loyal following through years of dedicated development and listening to their community.

Australian creativity is conquering global stages, one silk thread at a time.