Konami has renewed the Silent Hill brand and mentions virtual reality headsets. A hint that subjectively points to a Bloober Team (Layers of Fear) title?
While Konami’s mobile, pachinko, and gym businesses are enough to keep it afloat, it occasionally publishes console and PC games. We have the latest example of the TMNT compilation: The Cowabunga Collection, scheduled for release in 2022. But the Japanese publisher has plans to relaunch its biggest franchise, Silent Hill.
An abandoned domain name, a renewed brand
Silent Hill, we’ve lost count of the number of times that name has been uttered in recent years. Vain. And yet there has been a little movement in the last few days. On February 1st, we found out that Konami hadn’t renewed the official website’s domain name. And no luck, a little joker bought it to prank everyone. He actually had fun posting a tweet from Masahiro Ito, the designer of the series’ creatures, who explained “I regret creating that p****n Pyramid Head”.
Besides this joke, a reddit user made another more serious statement. On March 15, 2022, Konami updated the Silent Hill brand with a relatively interesting detail. Aside from the classic mentions, the foliar mentionsCompatibility with virtual reality headsets. Strange, did you say strange?
Silent Hill VR by Bloober Team?
So is a Silent Hill project possible in VR? Yes. By whom? Bloober Team, the Polish studio of Layers of Fear, Observer System Redux or The Medium is the ideal candidate. And there are several clues that would confirm this theory.
The developers are working on several projects, including Layers of Fear on Unreal Engine 5 and a game with Konami. Coincidence? Not really, because a few weeks ago our colleagues at VGC announced that the studio is working on a new installment of Silent Hill. As for the ability to play in VR, Bloober Team already has experience in this area, having released Layers of Fear and Blair Witch in virtual reality. So the studio could apply the same formula, offering a hybrid Silent Hill (on a classic screen and via a VR headset) in subjective view instead of third person.
Logically, rumor has it that Konami is speaking during a big event. Basically at E3 2022, Gamescom 2022 or Tokyo Game Show 2022.
Will a Silent Hill in VR or Hybrid by Bloober Team work for you? Do you think the franchise can and should return, or is it time to move on? Tell us everything in the comments.
