Silk demand prompts steam and game store crash

The largest online video game store crashed Thursday as they struggled to cope with high demand for Hollow Knight: Silksong – one of the most anticipated games of the year.

Thousands of users reported that they were unable to buy games on PC Store Steam after the 15:00 BST was released, and the error continued until around 17:30.

Social media users also shared their difficulties in trying to buy silk on other platforms, including Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox Game Store.

Following the release of the first match in 2017, fans of Hollow Knight have been eagerly awaiting a sequel, according to the developer, with more than 15 million copies sold worldwide.

Users reported a sharp rise when the interrupted signature searcher was released, gradually falling over the next hour to reach a peak of 3,750.

It led to some angry fans criticizing the platform, one calling the downtime “absurd” while others said it was “stupid” and had no choice to book the game, which they said would avoid all these problems.

Further frustrated fans posted screenshots to social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter)’s error code when trying to complete a purchase in the game store.

Meanwhile, another digital storefront modest bundle briefly told visitors on Thursday’s website that the game was no longer available during high demand – and has since been resolved.

It led to composer Christopher Larkin working on Hollow Knight and its sequel, joked on X that “maybe there” may beCrashed the Internet”.

Meanwhile, another X user @haydenschiff posted an image showing several gamers encountering Steam error codes while trying to share their gameplay on Twitch:

While many people have reported that they can’t buy the game hours after it’s released, the demand for the game is such a huge steam record, with over 100,000 people playing the game within half an hour of release – possibly a copy purchased from other online stores.

“How do you play [when] I can’t even buy it,” one player exclaimed on the platform’s discussion board.

Meanwhile, another X user joked that they “beat the hardest boss” – accompanied by the image, showing that they purchased the Hollow Knight Sequel has been completed.

This isn’t limited to fans – at least one video game publisher suggests they’re also stuck in the chaos caused by the demand for games.