Shacknews Best Trendsetter of 2025 - Team Cherry

Team Cherry marched to the beat of its own drum in 2025.

There's an old phrase across many industries that goes something along the lines of, "When it's done, it's done." There doesn't need to be any fanfare or lengthy hype cycle. It's done when it's done. Team Cherry has run with this idea in video games this year, setting a trend in the process.

Going into this year, Hollow Knight: Silksong was one of the most anticipated games in the world. After captivating audiences with the original Hollow Knight, all eyes were on Team Cherry. What was the team doing? What was the latest news on Silksong? When will Silksong be done? Why isn't anybody saying anything about the progress of Silksong? Those were among the questions asked over the years.

Where the trend comes in is that Team Cherry essentially brushed off and dismissed the idea of a traditional hype cycle. The team didn't need to issue updates. They didn't need to spend months on a bombastic press tour or spend months traveling for the convention circuit. They weren't dependent on media or content creators. They simply buckled down and go to work.

What happened once the work was finished? Once the game was ready, it went out in a matter of days. There was no concern for review cycles, nor was there need to give advance copies to content creators. The work was going to speak for itself. On top of that, Team Cherry had one group of people it was beholden to and that was its Kickstarter supporters.

The "When it's done, it's done" mantra made the arrival of Hollow Knight: Silksong that much more exciting. It was a more unique approach to an anticipated sequel and was a pleasant change from the usual media-generated hype cycle. There was something more satisfying about everybody getting to experience the game all at once. For that, Team Cherry is the Shacknews Best Trendsetter of 2025.