"Hornet's Cloak Removal in Hollow Knight: Silksong Sparks Player Curiosity"

Yesterday, IGN unveiled that Hollow Knight: Silksong will be playable at an Australian museum in September 2025, and released a sprite sheet from the eagerly awaited game, sparking a frenzy online.

A Reddit thread discussing the exclusive sheet prompted one user to question, "In what situation [is] making a sprite of naked Hornet necessary?" The sprite sheet features numerous images of Silksong's protagonist, Hornet, in various poses, including one where she is casually holding her cloak under her arm. This particular image, shown below and on the right-hand side of the original sheet, immediately under the uppermost ring, caused quite a stir:

A close-up of the controversial sprite, located on the right-hand side of the original image.

Comments ranged from humorous to bewildered. One user remarked, "What kind of situation in-game calls for her to remove her cloak and hold it like she's an exhausted dad returning from work? This is cursed." Another questioned its authenticity, asking, "Is this real???? There’s no way this is a sprite that is going to be in Silksong. Is that just what she looks like????" while another demanded, "IN WHAT KIND OF SITUATION WOULD THEY EVEN NEED THIS SPRITE?"

The conversation took a more playful turn with comments like, "So, we don't have to bother making a mod," and "We're going straight to ESRB 18+ for this one." One user humorously chastised, "HORNET PUT YOUR CLOAK BACK ON THAT'S SO INDECENT WHAT THE HELL," with responses such as, "This looks so wrong," and "this is completely unnecessary." Another simply stated, "I do not like this."

While the purpose of this sprite remains unclear, a plausible explanation might be that players will have the ability to upgrade or change Hornet's cloak. Until more details emerge, fans are left to let their imaginations run wild.

Hollow Knight: Silksong 2025 Screenshots

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Hollow Knight: Silksong, developed by Team Cherry, remains one of the most anticipated games globally, consistently topping Steam's wishlist charts. The game briefly appeared at Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct last month, and shortly after, Team Cherry confirmed a 2025 release window, much to the relief of its dedicated fanbase. With the news that Silksong will be playable at Australia’s national museum of screen culture, ACMI, starting September 18, speculation about a possible August launch has surfaced, though nothing is confirmed yet.

Silksong will be part of ACMI's video game exhibition, Game Worlds, which will also feature displays exploring the game’s design and artistic direction.