William Pellen
William Pellen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Education | TAFE SA |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2008-present |
| Notable work | Hollow Knight Hollow Knight: Silksong |
| Title | Co-founder and co-director of Team Cherry |
William Pellen is an Australian video game designer and former web designer, best known for his work on Hollow Knight (2017) and its sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025). He is also the co-founder and co-director of the games' development studio, Team Cherry.
Early life and education
William Pellen was born in Adelaide, South Australia.[1][2]
He earned a diploma of Digital Media and a diploma of Website Development from TAFE SA.[3]
Career
Pellen worked for the company Optus from 2008 to 2011, in multiple roles.[3] He was also formerly a freelance web designer, creating websites for clients such as the Lake Albert Caravan Park, and a solo indie game developer.[4]
In 2014, Pellen co-founded the independent video game studio Team Cherry with Ari Gibson, whom he had previously worked with on game jams. They started a Kickstarter project for their then-upcoming game Hollow Knight, which was a success; the game released in 2017 to critical acclaim. Pellen worked on the game's overall design, and also co-directed its development.[5]
He later worked on a piece of Hollow Knight downloadable content that eventually evolved into a sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, with the same roles he had while working on Hollow Knight.[6] The game's development took over seven years, though Pellen described the process as enjoyable.[7] Hollow Knight: Silksong released on 4 September 2025, also to critical acclaim.[8]
Personal life
Pellen is married and has two children, with a third on the way as of August 2025.[7]
List of known games
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Return to Booty Grotto[4] |
| 2013 | Tomb Cat[9] |
| Hungry Knight[5] | |
| 2017 | Hollow Knight[5] |
| 2025 | Hollow Knight: Silksong[6] |
Cancelled games
| Title |
|---|
| Lulanda[a] |
| Wilco LCD Classics[4] |
Notes
References
- ^ Thorsland, Dan (28 March 2019). "How Adelaide developers are taking on the gaming world". Adelaide Review. Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (1 May 2025). "Hollow Knight: Silksong will be playable in September 2025 — at an Australian museum". IGN. Archived from the original on 1 May 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ a b Pellen, William. "William Pellen". LinkedIn. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ a b c Pellen, William. "Wilco Design Portfolio". Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ a b c Milner, David. "The Making Of Hollow Knight". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ a b Sirani, Jordan (14 February 2024). "Hollow Knight: Silksong – Everything We Know About the 2D Metroidvania Sequel". IGN. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ a b Schreier, Jason (21 August 2025). "Why 'Silksong' Took Seven Years to Make". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ Pritchard, Marie (1 September 2025). "Hollow Knight Silksong release date". Eurogamer. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ Ofner, Claudia Susanne (2021). Play Me a Story: Storytelling in the Metroidvania Game Hollow Knight (PDF) (Master's thesis). Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Lulanda Prelude v6". Stencyl. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Lulanda Demo 2". Newgrounds. Retrieved 1 September 2025.