If you haven’t heard the news yet, the Silent Hill Franchise is making a long overdue comeback, and its lead developer and owner Konami is actually doing right by fans of the franchise by bringing back one of the most critically acclaimed video game franchises of all time.
Almost 10 years have passed since the Silent Hill series had any real big game to its name. The fan favorite psychological horror franchise that helped establish a generation of survival horror gamers was supposed to have a game helmed by the creator of the Metal Gear franchise. However, those plans stalled thanks to changes inside Konami and a shifting of their priorities – leading to a hiatus for the series that wouldn’t see new IPs released nearly a decade later.
Back in 2014, a little interactive first-person perspective game dubbed “P.T” was released at Gamescom 2014 as a demo for a mysterious horror game title – which turned out to be the work of Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima, his studio Kojima Productions, and critically acclaimed movie director Guillermo del Toro. Upon completion of that demo, playiers would find out that the teaser was actually for “Silent Hills” – a new game in the Silent Hill franchise which would feature “The Walking Dead” star and actor Norman Reedus as the main protagonist.
Sadly, that game never saw the light of day. With the controversy surrounding Hideo Kojima’s working relationship with Konami and his subsequent departure from the company after completing work in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Silent Hills was abruptly cancelled – leaving a lot of fans dismayed and lost as to what the future of the franchise would be. Konami would leave fans in the dust for the next couple of years and it seemed like the series was all but dead with only pachinko slot machines released to remind us of older games and bygone times.
All that changed in October 2022, when Konami formally brought back the Silent Hill franchise in their very first “Silent Hill Transmission” presentation – announcing a series of new IPs that included Silent Hill: Ascension, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Silent Hill f. Even a new film by French film director Christophe Gans was announced in “Return to Silent Hill” – which would serve as a reboot of the film franchise and adapt the story of Silent Hill 2 for the big screen. However, the biggest reveal of that presentation was confirming that an actual remake of Silent Hill 2 was in development – showcased in a trailer that promised that one of the most influential survival horror games was coming to the modern gaming generation.
Developed by Polish video game studio Bloober Team, the Silent Hill 2 remake will follow the same basic premise as the original – focusing on a widower named James Sunderland as he is drawn into the eponymous town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his deceased wife Mary. Searching for answers and encountering other individuals along the way, players must guide James as he deals with the mysteries and dangers brought about by the town – manifested in the form of monsters and changing environments that are a representation of a person’s own inner demons. It is through this journey that he will find out the truth behind the letter, and why he was called back to their “special place”.
Fast forward to 2024, and a second Silent Hill Transmission was just broadcasted to the world by Konami – finally revealing a release date for the Silent Hill 2 remake as well as showing off a new trailer that highlights the gameplay and action fans can expect from this modernized representation of the 2001 game.
With a release date of October 8 for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, Silent Hill 2 is reintroducing the franchise back into the scene and allowing fans new and old to experience one of its best entries with the power and technology of today’s generation. Konami has also prepared a series of digital editions that fans can choose to purchase – which includes some bonus skins as well as a Deluxe Edition release of the game that allows those who buy it a chance to play the game 48 hours before it is officially released! Additionally, the Official Konami shop has stocked up with some brand new Silent Hill toys and merchandise – including a wearable James Sunderland jacket inspired by the one worn by the main protagonist himself.
After so many hiccups and disappointments, it truly is a return to Silent Hill and fans like myself couldn’t be happier to see the series back at a time when everyone thought the franchise was gone for good. After getting a new short adventure in Silent Hill: The Short Message (which I reviewed here), we’re getting a remake of one of the best entries in the series as well as a film adaptation of that sequel. We’re eating good, and Konami is finally making amends for their past mistakes and hopefully it stays that way.
Welcome back to Silent Hill.