Ari Gibson

thumb|"It's nice to make fun things". Ari Nicholas Gibson (born May 14, 1983) is an Australian artist, animator, and video game designer, best known for being the co-founder and co-director of game development company Team Cherry, the creator of Hollow Knight and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Quotes A lot of these decisions we're making, a lot of the scale and the rooms we build, all of it's built around this sense of discovery. Exploration and discovery. And discovery, for us, doesn't just mean finding 500 flags or something. 500 coins. It means actually coming upon unique sights, unique characters, unique systems, like a new shopkeeper that offers you something you haven't seen before, a new event in the world. How to design a great Metroidvania map https://www.pcgamer.com/how-to-design-a-great-metroidvania-map/ August 3, 2017 We have a very simple core to Hollow Knight [... a]nd then along the way, we come up with things that make us laugh or I think are interesting. And we just go for it until they're too tired to do anymore. The Makers Of Hollow Knight Are Fine With Players Missing Things August 30, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bQP2rmNBpI 6bQP2rmNBpI When you see all these little things coming to life in front of your eyes at a rapid rate, possibly within hours, that’s hugely motivating[.] That’s the secret that allowed us to just keep going with all our expanding and building, and making this world ever larger and ever more full of strange characters – the loop is just so quick. EDGE Magazine Issue #329 January 29, 2019 We’ve been having fun, this whole [development process] is just a vehicle for our creativity anyway. It’s nice to make fun things. Why 'Silksong' Took Seven Years to Make https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-make August 21, 2025 1 September 2025 subscription https://archive.today/20250821143053/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-make August 21, 2025 I think we’re always underestimating the amount of time and effort it’ll take us to achieve things[.] It’s also that problem where, because we’re having fun doing it, it’s not like, ‘It’s taking longer, this is awful, we really need to get past this phase.’ It’s, ‘This is a very enjoyable space to be in. Let’s perpetuate this with some new ideas.’ Why 'Silksong' Took Seven Years to Make https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-make August 21, 2025 1 September 2025 subscription https://archive.today/20250821143053/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-make August 21, 2025 I used to manage teams in past lives. I don’t really want to do that ever again. Why 'Silksong' Took Seven Years to Make https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-make August 21, 2025 1 September 2025 subscription https://archive.today/20250821143053/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-make August 21, 2025 I live in a very basic two-bedroom apartment[.] Sometimes I think, ‘You know what would be better, is a one-bedroom apartment.’ Because then there’s even less to maintain. Why 'Silksong' Took Seven Years to Make https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-make August 21, 2025 1 September 2025 subscription https://archive.today/20250821143053/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-make August 21, 2025 So we have a plan – but the plan is never so calcified that it can't bear a change of course two weeks later – or two months later, or two years later. Interview with Team Cherry September 5, 2025 https://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/from-ludum-dare-to-pharloom/ All the script stuff happens in a funny way, where it’s not a major part of the working day, it just fits in the cracks. Just stuffing it in, in those little moments we have. At the end of seven years, you have a script. The Makers of 'Silksong' Aren't Done Just Yet November 28, 2025 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-28/the-makers-of-hollow-knight-silksong-aren-t-done-just-yet December 8, 2025 subscription We’re clearly not concerned if it ends up taking a long period of time. The Makers of 'Silksong' Aren't Done Just Yet November 28, 2025 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-28/the-makers-of-hollow-knight-silksong-aren-t-done-just-yet December 8, 2025 subscription When we make content, we do it pretty fast, and we just make a lot of it. Also [... w]e like making this stuff. That’s the fun. And also releasing games is quite hard. Less releases is healthier. The Makers of 'Silksong' Aren't Done Just Yet November 28, 2025 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-28/the-makers-of-hollow-knight-silksong-aren-t-done-just-yet December 8, 2025 subscription We do have other games that we plan to make. The only time concern really is — and we’ve talked about this before — death. It’s not that far off if you spend seven years per project, and potentially add another two. So it’d be nice to do a few more games. Apparently our timeframe still allows us to fit a few more in. Short of an unexpected tragedy. The Makers of 'Silksong' Aren't Done Just Yet November 28, 2025 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-28/the-makers-of-hollow-knight-silksong-aren-t-done-just-yet December 8, 2025 subscription If we were forced to make another Hollow Knight right now it’d be a joy. It’s just that it’d be interesting for us to explore the same things we’re interested in but maybe in a slightly different genre, slightly different theme, and how that affects the stories we come up with. We’re interested to see what would happen ourselves. The Makers of 'Silksong' Aren't Done Just Yet November 28, 2025 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-28/the-makers-of-hollow-knight-silksong-aren-t-done-just-yet December 8, 2025 subscription [Hollow Knight: Silksong is] a game about — it’s got adversity and difficulty but ultimately it’s about letting players triumph, and overcome, and feel relief and joy and achievement. Definitely when we see that, that is very rewarding. The Makers of 'Silksong' Aren't Done Just Yet November 28, 2025 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-28/the-makers-of-hollow-knight-silksong-aren-t-done-just-yet December 8, 2025 subscription External links Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:People from Adelaide Category:Company founders Category:Video game developers Category:Animators Category:Businesspeople from Australia