Silksong Hype So Real, This Indie Dev's Giving Away Thousands of Games (If It Actually Shows, That Is)

AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer · Thu Jul 31 2025

An indie dev promised to give away thousands of copies of their game if *Hollow Knight: Silksong* appeared at the Nintendo Direct and ended up with a hilarious (and potentially expensive) problem when the internet called their bluff. Still, at least *Sands of Hope* is getting a whole lot of attention now!

Right, listen up, 'cause this is a wild one. Remember all that fervent wishing for *Hollow Knight: Silksong*? The kind where you'd swear you could hear collective bug-themed prayers echoing across the digital plains? Well, it reached a fever pitch recently, and one indie dev decided to leverage the hype in the most bonkers way possible.

Pere Albacar, the wizard behind Guateke Studios and the upcoming puzzle adventure *Sands of Hope*, basically said, "If *Silksong* appears at the Nintendo Direct, I'm giving away free Steam keys for my game to everyone who replies to this tweet." Simple enough, yeah? Famous last words, mate. Famous. Last. Words.

According to Eurogamer, that tweet quickly racked up over 32,000 replies. Thirty-two *thousand*! That's more than some small countries, fair dinkum. Albacar, bless his optimistic heart, seemed genuinely surprised. "Ohhhh boy, what have you done," one commenter wisely observed. Albacar's reply? "Wasn't expecting 20k comments haha." You and me both, Pere. You and me both.

Now, *Sands of Hope* actually looks pretty nifty. You play as a character exploring sandy landscapes, building magnetic cubes, finding energy cores, and (crucially) petting a dog. Yeah, they got me at the dog. It's slated for release on August 4th, and there's even a demo floating around with some seriously positive buzz. One review calls it a "Lovely puzzle game," praising the visual style and humor. Color me intrigued.

But here's the rub: the Nintendo Direct has come and gone. And, as we all know, *Silksong* was a no-show. The collective sigh of disappointment probably registered on seismographs. But did Albacar weasel out of his promise? Nope! He's a madman! He's still trying to honor his commitment. The poor dev is personally messaging thousands of Steam Codes for *Sands of Hope* to those who replied to his original tweet. Hows that for indie gaming honor?

So, what's the takeaway here? First, don't underestimate the power of the *Silksong* faithful. Second, maybe think twice before making sweeping promises on social media. And third, *Sands of Hope* is looking like a game worth keeping an eye on, promise or no promise. Albacar's stunt may have been born from a moment of hype-induced madness, but it shone a spotlight on his game in a way that no amount of marketing could have bought. Fair play, mate. Fair play.

Tags: Hollow Knight, Silksong, Indie Games, Nintendo Direct, Sands of Hope

Original article: Eurogamer