The lead of Hell is Us described the unexpected announcement of Hollow Knight: Silksong's release date as "a little callous"

The creative mind behind Hell is Us, Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, described Team Cherry's unexpected announcement of the launch date for Hollow Knight: Silksong as being somewhat insensitive, given it was only disclosed two weeks prior to its official release.

According to This Week in Videogames, Jacques-Belletête joined the Skill Up's Friends Per Second podcast and shared insights into the simultaneous launch of Hell is Us with Hollow Knight: Silksong on September 4, 2025, having been caught off guard by the latter’s announcement just a fortnight earlier.

"We immediately communicated with our publisher, Nacon, upon learning of Team Cherry’s unanticipated announcement via a trailer on August 21, 2025," stated Jacques-Belletête.

He acknowledged, "Team Cherry acted within their rights; no regulations were breached. However, I believe the unexpected release of such a highly anticipated title given the market position comparable to 'the GTA 6 of indie-games' was somewhat rough."

Initially revealed to the public in April 2022 with a planned release for the subsequent year, Hell is Us encountered a delay until 2025. Its exact release date was eventually confirmed during a State of Play event by Sony in February 2025.

Despite the overlap with Hollow Knight: Silksong's release, Jacques-Belletête remarked that Rogue Factor opted to maintain their release schedule. "Changing the date would have posed significant challenges, including processing refunds for pre-orders," he explained.

He further elaborated, "Even so, our decision wasn't solely based on these hurdles. We remained optimistic about our game's performance amidst competition."

Although Hollow Knight: Silksong achieved over half a million players concurrently after its launch, Hell is Us' peak player numbers were significantly lower, peaking at 4,431, as per SteamDB.

Jacques-Belletête admitted the overlapping release might have influenced Hell is Us' reception, but emphasized, "Other titles such as Bloober Team's Cronos: The New Dawn, released the next day, shared the release window. The gaming industry's timetable no longer allows for periods of inactivity, making strategic releases increasingly complex."