This is even crazier because the original Hollow Knight was made entirely by dudes who quit their jobs and had to get other people to buy lunches for them.
They put their everything into the game because they were going to lose everything if the game was a faiure
this "fiction and reality distinction" discourse is a giant headache. one side treats the fake as if they're real, the other vice versa then act like they care better (no the fuck they dont)