When the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong finally launched on Friday, the gaming world erupted into chaos. Within minutes of release, major online platforms including Steam, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, and the Microsoft Store crashed, unable to handle the tsunami of fans trying to purchase the game.

Gamers reported error codes, stalled transactions, and login failures across platforms for nearly three hours, with the outage dominating social media feeds worldwide. “Ridiculous,” one frustrated fan posted on X, while another called it “stupid” that no preorder system was offered to smooth the surge.

Despite the technical mess, the Adelaide-based indie studio Team Cherry, led by Ari Gibson, William Pellen, and Jack Vine, saw more than 100,000 active players on Steam in just 30 minutes after launch.

A cult classic turns global frenzy

The original Hollow Knight, released in 2017 with haunting music by Christopher Larkin, grew from a word-of-mouth hit into a “modern Metroidvania classic,” as described by The New York Times. With hand-drawn animations, brutally tough boss battles, and secret-filled corridors, it sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

Its sequel, Silksong, takes players deeper into the mysterious world of insect warriors, shifting the spotlight to Hornet, the sword-wielding princess who first appeared as a supporting character. Anticipation was so feverish that at least seven other games—among them Baby Steps and Demonschool—delayed their releases to avoid clashing with Silksong’s launch window.

Outages recorded worldwide

On Downdetector, reports of issues spiked at 3,750 cases within the first hour of release. Even Humble Bundle, a popular digital retailer, briefly displayed a message admitting the game was “unavailable due to overwhelming traffic.”

Players flooded Reddit and X with screenshots of their error messages, some joking that “Hornet herself must be guarding the servers.” The situation became one of the most talked-about gaming launches of 2025.

Why no preorder?

The lack of a preorder option fueled frustration. Unlike blockbuster franchises such as Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto, indie titles often avoid preorders to keep control simple. But with Silksong’s cult following, this decision backfired—creating one of the biggest digital traffic jams in gaming history.

A triumph for Australian gaming

For South Australia, the launch marked a proud milestone. The South Australian Film Corporation posted on LinkedIn:

“This small-but-mighty team of developers from Adelaide is a true world-leading talent that exemplifies the creative excellence coming out of South Australia.”

What’s remarkable is that Silksong was independently funded, without backing from a major publisher. In an interview with Bloomberg, Gibson explained that the seven-year wait was intentional:

“We’re a small team, and games take a lot of time. There wasn’t any big controversial moment behind it.”

Pellen, speaking earlier to ABC, credited the original game’s success to staying true to their tastes:

“The satisfying thing with Hollow Knight was that we were making something that was to our tastes… hopefully Silksong can achieve that too.”

What comes next?

Now that the game is live, the focus turns to how quickly the servers stabilize and whether Silksong’s sales trajectory will eclipse its predecessor. With early numbers already shattering records, analysts expect the sequel to dominate 2025’s “Game of the Year” discussions.

For the players who spent hours refreshing broken store pages, finally stepping into Hornet’s journey feels like a hard-won victory. And for Team Cherry, the chaos of launch day may be the ultimate badge of honor: proof that three creators from Adelaide have built a game capable of shaking the world.

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Tucked away in the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania, Oakmont Country Club doesn’t just host golf tournaments — it terrorizes them. Widely regarded as the scariest golf course on Earth, Oakmont is the kind of place that doesn’t reward champions — it exposes weaknesses, punishes mistakes, and demands near-perfection at every turn.

From the moment you step onto the first tee, Oakmont’s reputation precedes it. Its famed lightning-fast greens — some of the quickest in the world — turn putting into a psychological minefield. Slopes that appear gentle turn deadly under pressure, with even minor misreads leading to long, embarrassing comebacks.

Then there’s the rough — thick, gnarly, and unapologetically penal. While most courses today have adopted a more forgiving layout in the name of entertainment and speed, Oakmont holds firm in its identity: a course designed to test mental strength and precision shot-making, not popularity.

And let’s not forget the bunkers — more than 200 of them, to be exact. These aren’t just traps; they’re sand-packed nightmares. Most infamous is the “Church Pews” bunker that guards the third and fourth holes, a series of towering grassed ridges that have crushed the dreams of many a contender.

Professional golfers across generations have described Oakmont in no uncertain terms. Tiger Woods once called it the toughest course he’s ever played, while Jack Nicklaus said it was the most difficult test in golf. That’s coming from two of the greatest to ever hold a club.

What makes Oakmont even scarier is that it’s not a gimmick. There are no manufactured obstacles or novelty water hazards. It’s pure, old-school design — a relentless course that doesn’t care who you are or how good you think you might be. Its layout is deceptively straightforward, yet its challenges are hidden in subtle contours, strategic blind spots, and its insistence on punishing anything less than surgical precision.

And yet, it is this very brutality that elevates Oakmont. Hosting nine U.S. Opens — more than any other course — and producing champions only after they’ve endured battle after battle, Oakmont is less about entertainment and more about survival.

So whether you’re a weekend warrior dreaming of major glory or a seasoned pro chasing history, remember: at Oakmont, the course isn’t your playground — it’s your opponent.

For puzzle fans and word nerds, Thursday, June 12’s edition of the New York Times Mini Crossword offered the perfect bite-sized brain boost. Whether you’re a seasoned speed solver or someone who enjoys a quick mental warm-up over coffee, today’s grid had just the right mix of classic vocabulary and clever clueing.

Unlike the full-sized NYT crossword, the Mini Crossword is designed to be completed in under a minute — but that doesn’t mean it’s a breeze. Today’s five-by-five grid came packed with punchy clues, testing both your word recall and your lateral thinking skills.

If you’re stuck or just curious, here’s a breakdown of today’s Mini Crossword clues and answers for Thursday, June 12th:

Across Clues:

1. Animal in a pride – LION
2. Tooth holder – GUM
3. Tried to score, as a basketball player – SHOT
4. Org. for the Yankees or Red Sox – MLB
5. “___ you kidding me?!” – ARE

Down Clues:

1. It helps keep you grounded – GRAVITY
2. Part of a flight – LEG
3. Response to “Thank you” – YOU’RE WELCOME
4. Suffix with Japan or China – ESE
5. Word with “pep” or “pop” – CULTURE

Today’s puzzle was a reminder of how the Mini can be deceptively challenging, with everyday words used in ways that throw even confident solvers for a loop. Whether it was interpreting “Tooth holder” as GUM, or figuring out that “Part of a flight” meant LEG, it’s all about reading between the lines — literally.

The Mini has become a daily ritual for millions, offering a quick rush of satisfaction with every solved square. And if you didn’t beat your best time today, there’s always tomorrow’s challenge to look forward to.

So how did you do? Whether you nailed it in 30 seconds flat or had to peek at a clue or two, remember — every great day starts with a little puzzle.