Team Cherry has decided that one of the previous DLCs announced for the game is going to be expanded into a sequel instead:

I still have not beaten Hollow Knight but I have always meant to get back to it! I think I was vaguely close to the end so maybe I'll try to polish it off before this hits, and it sounds like it'll be coming out later this year.

hornet is a great character, and based on the quality of hollow knight i have nothing but confidence for this sequel.

really, really great news- can't wait!

I just really hope the game doesn't suffer from pandering to the active player base. Hollow Knight was already pretty close to the edge of being impenetrable, and they just kept ramping up with the DLC. If the sequel tries to ramp up even further the game will probably struggle to satisfy people outside the very core audience.

Giant Bomb's winner of the 2019 "I just bounced right off it" award.

The article linked in the OP mentions that this was originally pitched as a Kickstarter stretch goal, so I hope backers are sent free codes. Otherwise, that would seem pretty shitty...

@ares42: Yep, that's pretty much how I felt about Hollow Knight when I tried it. I know a lot of people love it, though. The sequel looks cool, but probably not for me.

Looks great, loved the first game. Still havent touched the final DLC but i'll be getting back to it at some point. I'm glad this isnt going to be DLC honestly because i'd rather not play this on Switch, the game performed fine but I still think it has the worst controller(s). (got the Pro)

I am so very pleased. A bright point to a gloomy work day.

@nnickers: They say this explicitly from 15:41 in the video

Surprised by how much I grew to love Hollow Knight, despite taking my sweet time getting to it.

This time, I'll be there day one.

They're going to have a hard time matching the quality of the first game, let alone possibly topping it. That being said, I'm very excited to see them try.

This is wonderful news; thanks for the report, Rorie.

I really hope this is a leaner game. Hollow Knight is great but a bit bloated and the ramp up for it getting good takes too long.

Hopefully it chills the fuck out with all the platforming challenges. Hollow Knight is a great game that gradually shifts genres towards the end and it's not especially good at the one it finally lands on.

Oh man. Hollow Knight is a GREAT game. I finished it. I loved it. But the prospect of playing more Hollow Knight leaves me with this feeling in the pit of my stomach, my heart rate almost goes up a little, you know? I don't know if I'm ready.

I loved the first game. Strangely enough, I wasn't quite that excited for a sequel, because I felt I had had my fill. But seeing the new moveset and all - I am excited! And Hornet is a much more interesting character than the... dude from the first game. I hope she gets dialogue.

I kind of hope it doesn't come in 2019. I'd like them to get really ambitious with this one.

Hallow Knight is, I think, a better game than the titans of the genre like Super Metroid and SOTN. An absolutely incredible achievement for such a small team. Yet even so I can't help but feel a bit disappointed that they're just going to keep making more Hallow Knight. It looks great, and I'll play it for sure. I guess it's kind of similar to how I felt about Retro Studios "Oh. Just another Prime?" or Rocksteady "Just still doing the Batman thing huh". The studios are so talented I want to see them keep doing cool new things.

I'll meet you halfway, Hollow Knight - if your new map system is not a steaming pile of horseshit, I will give this series another chance.

The map system isn't the only thing I disliked about Hollow Knight - mostly, I think it's boring - but it is a pretty big complaint.

I Should really finish the first one, I'm doing that thing where I'm putting it off because if I finish it, it's over.

Did not expect to get as deep into Hollow Knight as I did, especially because I fell off it completely after the first hour. I can't really do long play sessions with games anymore, but something about that one kept me sat on my ass for about a week straight. I don't expect the same from this game, but I have absolute faith that I'll love it anyway.

The first one was boring, so no thanks.

@Coreus: ok, game is cancelled!

The most exciting part of the Nintendo Direct for me was looking at the Nintendo Switch feed to remind us of the most interesting nuggets from their Direct just to stumble upon this small announcement!

Still very much looking forward to this. I do, however, feel like the odd man out with wanting a game based upon Iselda and Cornifer in their days prior to opening their shop in Dirtmouth. There is some history there as the player is told that Iselda was an adventurer of some sort... at the least somebody with combat prowess who retired, in spite of not being too old or worn down for it. Their adventures (Cornifer is doubtless a capable explorer) and their courtship could make for a good game.