Team Cherry — Creators of Hollow Knight and Silksong
Team Cherry is an independent video game development studio based in Adelaide, South Australia. The studio is best known for creating the critically acclaimed metroidvania games Hollow Knight and its sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Despite producing a large and influential game world, Team Cherry is a very small development team. Their focus on hand-crafted design, detailed art, and atmospheric storytelling has earned them a strong reputation within the indie game community.
Founding
Team Cherry was founded by three core members who collaborated to create Hollow Knight. The team originally formed to develop small independent projects before beginning work on what would become their breakout success.
The studio gained early support through a crowdfunding campaign that helped fund the development of Hollow Knight and expand the scope of the game.
Core Team Members
Ari Gibson
Ari Gibson is one of the founders of Team Cherry and serves primarily as the art director and designer. He is responsible for the distinctive hand-drawn visual style of the Hollow Knight series, including character designs, environments, and animations. His art style plays a major role in establishing the atmosphere and identity of the games.
William Pellen
William Pellen is a co-founder of Team Cherry and works as a game designer and programmer.
He focuses on gameplay systems, level design, and the mechanical structure of the game world. Pellen also contributes to the writing and lore design of the series.
Jack Vine
Jack Vine joined the development team to assist with programming and technical development.
His work helped support the larger technical systems behind the game, allowing the team to expand the scope of the project.
Music Collaboration
Christopher Larkin
Face of the composer of both game’s music!
Christopher Larkin is an Australian composer best known for creating the evocative soundtrack to the indie game Hollow Knight. His music blends orchestral, ambient, and minimalist elements to build the haunting atmosphere of Hallownest, giving emotional depth to exploration and storytelling. Larkin’s compositions are widely praised for their ability to convey both melancholy and wonder without relying on dialogue. Before and after Hollow Knight, he has worked on a variety of film, game, and television projects, showcasing a versatile musical style. His work on the series, including Hollow Knight: Silksong, has earned him a strong reputation within the indie game community.
His music helps define the tone of each region and enhances the emotional impact of exploration and boss encounters.
About Page Designer
When I first discovered Hollow Knight, I thought it was a completely different game. When I started playing and realized it wasn’t what I expected, I was a little disappointed, but I looked up reviews and saw that many people praised it, so I decided to give it a chance. Because of its difficulty, I eventually quit out of frustration after getting lost and struggling for hours. A few months later, I came back and gave it another try, determined to stick with it. That’s when I realized the game had a rich story, fun but challenging gameplay, and beautiful art and music. I ended up loving it so much that it became my favorite game of all time—at least until the sequel came out.
