Keiichiro Toyama- the creator Silent Hill, Gravity Rush, and founder of Bokeh Game Studio- has revealed he is working to collaborate with a “famous creator” in Japan.
As previously reported, Toyama left Sony Japan Studio in early December 2020, forming his own independent game development studio- Bokeh Game Studio. As CEO, Toyama was joined by fellow former Sony Japan Studio developers Sato Kazunobu and Junya Okura; as COO and CTO, respectively. The concept art of their first game was also recently revealed, along with Toyama’s design process.
Speaking to Al Hub in an interview, Toyama was asked (10:57) to reveal something exclusive (such as concept art or details). “We’re obviously still at an early period,” Toyama explained via a translator, “so there’s not a lot we can actually say, but we are looking to create an experience that can be enjoyed widely by a range of people. So for example, our games have a setting in Asian cities.”
Toyama did reveal one small nugget of information. “One thing we can say is that we are working hard right now to collaborate with a famous creator in Japan, and that’s something we haven’t been open about.”
Toyama also explained the game would focus on the uneasiness and stress that people feel in the world today, such as natural disasters, and feeling like you have to carry on as though nothing happened. He also elaborated on how his game would be much darker than his recent works, as he had previously been worked on non-horror titles such as Gravity Rush.
AI Hub had also previously interviewed Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka, who hinted the next game he will work on is “one you’re hoping to hear about.” The video had been uploaded with the title “New Silent Hill Game?”, but was later taken down.
Issuing a statement on Twitter, Al Hub revealed that they were asked to remove at least that clip. A Konami spokesperson have issued a statement to VGC, denying they asked for the video to be taken down.
VGC also reported on the rumors of a new Silent Hill game; dismissing proposed ideas it would be by The Medium developer Bloober Team, and instead a “prominent” Japanese developer. They also claim the game will be revealed in Summer 2021.
We previously reported how sources claimed to Rely on Horror that two Silent Hill games were in development. The first was a “soft reboot” involving Keiichiro Toyama, Akira Yamaoka, and Masahiro Ito (monster designer for the first three Silent Hill games).
The second was a a revival of Hideo Kojima’s Silent Hills. For those unfamiliar, a demo titled P.T. (Playable Teaser) was added to the PlayStation Network in 2014. The unsettling horror game utilized many cryptic clues to unlock the game’s true ending, revealing it was Silent Hills.
The project would have been designed and directed by Hideo Kojima, in collaboration with Guillermo del Toro, and with the involvement of Norman Reedus. However, the game was cancelled in 2015 by Konami.
Soon after the situation rapidly deteriorated [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] ultimately leading to Kojima leaving Konami, and forming Kojima Productions. Their first title, Death Stranding, featured Norman Reedus and Guillermo del Toro using facial and motion-capture.
Due to the rocky relationship between Konami and Kojima, we had our doubts that Sony would be able to get access to the Silent Hill IP and have Kojima work on a Silent Hill game. A North American PR representative for Konami would release a statement to Rely on Horror, denying the rumors.
Kojima Productions is certainly working on something, and Uzumaki author Junji Ito had been offered to make a horror games by Kojima. He later apologized once those comments were made public, revealing that it was more of a casual offer.
Image: YouTube