It has been years since Konami cancelled development ofSilent Hills, despite much fanfare around itsPTdemo, which was arguably one of the most frightening experiences in gaming. But fans remained hopeful of its development resuming in the future, or otherSilent Hillgames being developed for the future, upon Konami renewing itsSilentHilltrademark back in July, 2019.
The application for theSilent Hilltrademark was filed with the Government of Canada by Konami Digital Entertainment, and it shows it is categorically related to “video games.” Interestingly, the listing is also filed as “conducting computer game competitions,” which has led some to wonder whether aSilentHillmultiplayer game or mode for a game could be in the works.
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Konami Renews Trademark
WhileKonami has renewedSilent Hill’s trademark, it alone does not necessarily equate to development, however. Often times, a company will file or renew its trademarks to ensure that the franchise remains under its ownership.SilentHill’sprevious trademark was set to expire near the end of 2019; however, there has been a trickle of new rumors and information since then, reviving much buzz for the continuation of Konami’s beloved survival horror series.
Back in December, rumors surfaced thatHideo Kojima was in talks with Konamito work on a newSilentHillgame. The rumor’s origin comes from Reddit user Sarkzt0001, stating that Kojima has been in talks with Konami since he finished development onDeath Stranding. While Konami and Hideo Kojima failed to settle a deal years ago, a new deal has apparently been “settled” which would lend theSilent HillIP to Kojima Productions.
In this scenario, Kojima Productions and an unnamed third party would supposedly fund its development, but Konami would have some creative control or say over the matter, such as who the main actor in the game would be. If true, Norman Reedus apparently would not return to the project for reasons unknown, but that the cast would include well known actors.
Silent Hills Resuming Development?
If there is any truth to the rumor, this could comprise resuming development of the originalSilentHills(PT demo), rather than a newSilentHillgame, as Kojima expressed his belief that fans deserve the game. This would also fit what we do know thus far, in thatKojima has expressed desire to return to developing horror gamesfollowing completion ofDeath Stranding.
Jump ahead one month, andSilentHill’sArt Director, Masahiro Ito, has announced he is working on his next title “as a core member.” He also added, “I hope the title won’t be canceled.” While there are many ways to interpret the last statement, some have speculatedMasahiro Ito could be hinting at work on anotherSilentHillgame, or jokingly referencing the canceledSilentHillsgame itself. Furthermore, his avatar on Twitter remains as a photo of Pyramid Head, one ofSilent Hill’smost iconic villains.
Two Silent Hill Games
A few weeks later, in late January, another leak transpired suggesting thatKonami is developing twoSilent Hillgames. According to Twitter user AestheticGamer, Konami started building a team of developers for two newSilent Hillgames back in 2017. AestheticGamer states that one of the games would be a sequel to the main series, as well as provide as “soft reboot” of the franchise, whereas the other game would be an episodic role-playing game similar to titles released by Telltale Games. Supposedly, at least one of the games would be announced in 2020,according to AestheticGamer.
While these rumors do not hold a lot of weight on their own, a Konami spokesperson has confirmed thatKonami is closely listening to customer feedback regarding theSilent Hillseries. Again, while it is not much on its own, at least this tidbit of information comes directly from Konami, and the timing coincides with the rumors that have surfaced these last few months.
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New Silent Hill Movie
Furthermore, Christophe Gans' 2006Silent Hillmovie is apparently getting a new film.Christophe Gans' confirmed a newSilent Hillfilmin the works to and is collaborating with Victor Hadida, theResident Evilmovies' executive producer on the project.
Given that a new film is in the works, this should at least demonstrate that Konami has some interest in reviving the franchise. Naturally, it would seem out of place to revive the film series, but not the game series. While it is confirmed, for the most part, that a new movie is in the works and Konami is closely tuned in to fan feedback regardingSilent Hill, these rumors all come at a unique time period which could turn out to be true.
A Good Time To Revive Silent Hill
WithResident Evil’srevival of remakesof its classic games showing much success in both nostalgic buzz and sales, it would seem only natural that Konami wishes to restore its own survival horror classic to its former glory. Furthermore, there is a lot of desire among fans for survival horror that resembles the older style of the genre which was much less forgiving and less action-oriented.
It is important to note thatSilent Hill’sseries never really followed the route ofResident Eviland other survivor horror games and always resembled the older style of gameplay, with more rigid controls, tough enemies, and shortages of ammo. This was still the case heading into to themost recentSilent Hillgame,Downpour.
SinceSilent Hillnever really evolved in the way that other survival horror games did, it does not need to worry as much about trying to reinvent itself in trying to return to its origins in new ways. Fans already want whatSilent Hillhas always offered in terms of a suspenseful and slowly simmering survival horror experience, and the time right now is perfectly ripe for it. With other games such asSummerfordandDeath of Rosedrawing much inspiration from classicSilent Hillgames, it should be clear to Konami that the conditions are ripe for aSilent Hillrevival and demand from gamers is in place.
A newSilent Hillgame has not yet been officially confirmed.
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