From Acclaim to Anticipation: A Case Study of Project Management, Communication, and Trust in the Development of Hollow Knight: Silksong

Abstract

This paper analyses the prolonged development of Hollow Knight: Silksong, examining how interconnected operational, relational, and organizational failures eroded community trust and confidence. This study uses qualitative analysis of public records, community discourse, and six stakeholder interviews to identify a vicious cycle composed of three interconnected issues: perfectionist-driven scope creep, a breakdown in parasocial relationships and expectation management, and the human capital fragility of a small creative team. By applying project management, parasocial relationship, expectation confirmation, and strategic human resource management frameworks, this research demonstrates that failure in one domain amplifies failures in the others, producing self-reinforcing delays and declining goodwill. The analysis concludes that crowdfunding success requires more than funding alone; it demands integrated scope control, relational stewardship, and resilient human capital design. The findings provide genre-aware guidance for indie development teams, particularly for Metroidvania projects, where the core mechanic of "ability-gating" inherently multiplies scope risk.