Back in October 2022, Konami ended the Silent Hill franchise’s long-term drought by simultaneously announcing several new projects. Among them were three games: Silent Hill 2, a full remake of the 2001 original, Silent Hill f, a brand-new entry set in 1960s Japan, and Silent Hill: Townfall, another cryptic spin-off by Screen Burn (formerly known as No Code). With two of the titles already out, Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto recently reflected on the intended strategy behind these announcements and why Konami decided to make them at the same time despite the risks.
We wanted people to feel how serious we were about reviving the series. Developing a remake and a new title simultaneously naturally involves risks, but we wanted to convey our commitment first and foremost.
Only when a new game is announced can the future of a series be seen. Users won’t feel motivated to engage with an IP unless they can sense it has a future. If the company takes a wait-and-see approach, so will the players. The company needs to show how serious it is so that users can get genuinely excited. I think that’s only fair.
Whereas publishers of long-dormant franchises might be tempted to play it safe with a single remake to gauge demand, Okamoto says Konami’s decision to announce three projects simultaneously was a way to let players know that they were serious about revitalizing the franchise and continuing to do new things with it. Developing new titles alongside the Silent Hill 2 remake carries a fair share of risks, which is why Konami bet a lot on Bloober Team, NeoBards Entertainment, and No Code – smaller studios that were yet to handle full development for such a massively popular IP.
Referencing one of his older X posts, Okamoto comments, based on his experience, that only half of a title’s original playerbase tends to come back to check out a remake. As an original work is reproduced in new iterations (Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us comes to mind), it leads to diminishing returns. That said, Okamoto encourages developers to design their remakes with both new and returning players in mind, or else the playerbase won’t grow.
Given the positive reception of both the Silent Hill 2 remake and Silent Hill f, it seems that Konami was successful in putting the franchise back on the map. The games retain the psychological horror elements the series is known for while building upon them with immersive storytelling, modern controls, and interesting combat. Silent Hill: Townfall has a lot to live up to, being the next release, but given Konami’s recent track record for finding good developers and Okamoto’s involvement with the project, it seems that the game is in capable hands.
Related article: Future Silent Hill games won’t necessarily follow Silent Hill f formula, producer says. “We want to keep experimenting with each new title”
