Hollow Knight: Silksong dev thinks Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will win Game of the Year: “It’s exceptional and broadly palatable”

Hollow Knight: Silksong developer Team Cherry has revealed it won’t be making the trip to The Game Awards next month, as the team believes Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will sweep the Game of the Year award.

Asked by Bloomberg if the studio was prepping for a visit to LA, co-founder William Pellen diplomatically said: “Maybe not. We’re pretty busy.”

“This year I think we’re safe. I think Expedition 33 [will win],” Pellen explained. “It’s exceptional and broadly palatable. Whereas we’re on that knife’s edge, where it appeals to some and infuriates others.”

In the same interview, Team Cherry also commented on the use of mods following heated debates over the game’s imposing challenge.

Silksong’s difficulty level has been an ongoing discussion since the game finally released back in September. Developer Ari Gibson previously said players “have ways to mitigate the difficulty via exploration, or learning, or even circumventing the challenge entirely, rather than getting stonewalled”, though this wasn’t enough for some. Soon after Silksong came out, several mods were released for the game, which added certain adjustable variables like damage and health.

On its release, we awarded Silksong five stars. “Pretty and charmingly mean-spirited, this is a game filled with revelations and genuine personality,” reads Eurogamer’s Silksong review.