Gamescom 2014 saw the reveal of a new “indie horror game,” immediately available as a demo via the PlayStation Network. Known as “P.T,” the game announcement was sandwiched between some pretty big news, and was glossed over very quickly by the whole event.
That “indie horror game” revealed secrets that no-one expected. It took mere hours for its puzzles to be solved and for the true nature of P.T to become clear: “P.T” stood for playable teaser, and was in fact, a game announcement for a Hideo Kojima-led Silent Hill game known as Silent Hills.
Not only was this a massively cool way to announce a game, but with names like Kojima, Norman Reedus and Guillermo del Toro on board, how was this not going to be the best Silent Hill game since Silent Hill 2?!
Sadly, things slowly began to go t*ts up from then on. Rumblings of dissent between Konami and Kojima made their way to the headlines, and sure enough, Silent Hills got cancelled and Kojima split from Konami.
Since then, horror fans have been crying out for the Silent Hills they were promised, but thanks to legal issues and the publically-unknown tensions between Konami and Kojima, it’s never really been likely. Until now.
For a while now we’ve been hearing rumours of a return to the Silent Hill franchise, but according to sources close to Rely On Horror, it’s not just any old SH game coming our way.
The publication – which has been correct about similar leaks in the past – claims that not only is more SH on the cards, but that it’ll feature members of the original dev team known as Team Silent, the creative masterminds behind the original (and best) games in the series.
Masahiro Ito (creature designer for the first four titles in the series), is rumoured to be on board with the project, which aligns with previous rumours we’ve heard on the matter.
Other Team Silent members, Keiichiro Toyama (director and writer of the original 1999Â Silent Hill) and Akira Yamaoka (composer for the majority of the franchise) are also slated to return, according to the publication’s sources. The plan is for a “soft reboot” of the franchise, which is claimed to be now under the control of Sony as opposed to Konami. If this is the case, expect some big money to have swapped hands to make this happen.
It’s claimed that SIE Japan Studio will be spearheading the project with other horror game devs, including team members whose previous work includes Siren: Blood Curse.
The Silent Hill rumours don’t end there though (and here’s the big meaty boy for you to sink your teeth into) – it’s being claimed that Silent Hills is getting revived, with Kojima himself reportedly in talks to return.
A second source close to Rely On Horror claims that Sony is working to “patch up the relationship” between Kojima’s new studio, Kojima Productions, and Konami, to “resurrect” Silent Hills. The publication states that it “can now report on [the rumour] with some confidence in its legitimacy.”
So there you have it. Whether true or not, this is definitely a stretch in my opinion. It’s been six whole years since P.T dropped, and my heart is still shattered from the memory of the whole debacle. Though I’m not yet ready to embark on another rollercoaster of Silent Hill let downs, I will admit I’m a teeny bit tentatively hopeful around the leaks.
As always, take the rumours with a pinch of salt until we hear official word.
Featured Image Credit: Konami