CROWDED CATASTROPHE: ATARI’S ADVENTURE OF SAMSARA BURIED BY HOLLOW KNIGHT: SILKSONG LAUNCH

In a striking illustration of the perils of poor release scheduling, Atari’s latest venture into the Metroidvania genre, Adventure of Samsara, was almost completely erased from the conversation after launching on the exact same day as the most anticipated indie game of the decade, Hollow Knight: Silksong. The result for the Atari-published title was a disastrously low initial player count on Steam, peaking at a mere 12 concurrent players shortly after release.

The Fatal Scheduling Miscalculation

Adventure of Samsara, developed by Ilex Games, is a modern, pixel-art reboot of Atari’s classic 1980 title, Adventure, a game widely credited as a foundational influence on the action-adventure and exploration genres. The title was released on September 4, 2025, a date that will now live in infamy within its developer and publisher circles.

The decision to drop a new Metroidvania—a genre already dominated by the feverish hype surrounding Team Cherry’s sequel—on the same day as Silksong is being widely dissected as a catastrophic strategic error. The sheer scale of the Silksong launch, which saw its concurrent player count on Steam soar past 500,000, effectively consumed all media attention, streaming coverage, and player disposable income for the genre.

• The ‘Silksong’ Black Hole: Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release was not just a major indie launch; it was a decade-in-the-making cultural event for the gaming community. Its overwhelming debut made it impossible for any competing title, particularly one in the same niche genre, to gain visibility on storefronts or in industry news cycles.
• Market Saturation: Even in a week without a flagship release, the Metroidvania market is intensely competitive. For a title from an “ascendant” Atari—a brand attempting to re-establish its relevance with modern IP reboots—the decision to go head-to-head with a guaranteed phenomenon has baffled industry analysts and developers alike.

A Deeper Look at the Numbers and Reception

While the Steam concurrent player peak of 12 users is a stark and brutal metric, there is a silver lining—or perhaps, a deeper tragedy—to the game’s performance. Those few players who did purchase and play Adventure of Samsara appear to have genuinely enjoyed it.

• Positive Reception: According to SteamDB data, the game has received a 100% positive rating from its small number of initial reviews. Players praise its beautiful pixel art visuals, atmospheric design, and fun gameplay.
• Multi-Platform Sales: It is important to note that the game is also available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The total sales figures across all platforms are currently unknown, and there is a possibility that its performance on consoles might be stronger. However, Steam concurrent users remain a critical indicator of initial PC market momentum and visibility.

The situation highlights a difficult reality for mid-tier publishers and indie developers: a well-made game with positive reviews can still be completely buried and starved of marketing oxygen if its release date is not strategically chosen. For the developers at Ilex Games, the positive reviews offer a morale boost, but the initial commercial failure on a key platform due to a publishing misstep is undoubtedly a deeply demoralizing start.

This event serves as an expensive lesson in game release strategy and the overwhelming power of a decade of concentrated hype. As Atari continues its strategy of breathing new life into classic IPs, a far more cautious approach to the competitive scheduling landscape will be necessary to ensure their games get the spotlight they deserve.