If video games were rightly considered as art, then the Silent Hill series would arguably stand tall as the Mona Lisas of the gaming world. Not only did the franchise help popularize a brand new genre to an entire generation, but it also delivered a mature, nuanced narrative that peeled back the darkness behind the human psyche.
Unfortunately, under the leadership of once-great publisher Konami, the beloved horror franchise has been seemingly on ice since 2012’s PS Vita dungeon-crawler exclusive Silent Hill: Book Of Memories (not counting a handful of lousy pachinko and slot machines, of course). With Capcom’s recently released Resident Evil remakes impressing critics and audiences alike, though is it time for Silent Hill – Konami’s ying to Capcom’s yang – to finally make a modern resurgence? Perhaps, and according to some recent rumors, that could potentially be on the cards.
We’ve heard everything from farfetched reports of Microsoft buying the Japanese publisher’s gaming back catalogue, to the more believable news of the company partnering with Sony to develop a duo of brand new Silent Hill titles, to even the unlikely possibility of a re-collaboration between Konami and everyone’s favourite Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. Long story short: even though there hasn’t been any official confirmation from the publisher, the Silent Hill series feels like it’s finally back in the limelight now, and that’s even before mentioning the new cinematic threequel that’s officially been given the greenlight as well.
So, with all that in mind, the next tidbit from 2020’s most prolific leaker – Dusk Golem AKA AestheticGamer – is all the more intriguing, as they claim that the rumored in-development Silent Hill title will be a soft reboot. Interestingly, they responded to speculation regarding the new game being a reboot or potentially even a sequel. “Pretty much every person who may have knowledge on the title [says] this is a soft reboot,” is their specific claim. Though this is true for many games in the iconic horror franchise, Dusk Golem says that, “they’re going a bit further with it this time.”
This intel comes off the back of another recent leak from the same industry insider, who claimed that Sony is developing the game using the Japanese team best known for stylish action title, Gravity Rush, and the spine-chilling horror series, Siren. Of course, we’d suggest to take all these recent Silent Hill rumors with a fistful of salt until Konami officially confirms them, but they’ve certainly got us intrigued.
