Hideo Kojima Finally Breaks His Silence On Failed ‘Silent Hills’ Project
In recent memory, no upcoming project in the video game world has generated more interest and overwhelming hype than Silent Hills. First teased in the terrifying PS4 exclusive teaser P.T., and set to combine three of the world’s most popular faces, the game was set to soar into the stratosphere and reinvent the popular Silent Hill franchise. To say people were excited would be a massive understatement. Fans were expectant, joyous. Then, in April of 2015, the news broke and caused shock and dismay: Silent Hills was cancelled.
It was labelled one of the biggest upsets in video game history. Silent Hills is now dead in the water, never to see the light of day, much to the disdain and disappointment of the fans. Due to several mitigating factors, the game was cancelled by Konami before it had even gathered pace, but the cancellation eventually led to game designer Hideo Kojima’s shock departure from Konami, a decision that ended a near thirty-year relationship with the games giant. Until now, despite some heavy public criticism from his former employers, Kojima has kept quiet about the whole event. However, this week, he finally broke his silence over the failed Silent Hills project.
“After P.T. there were similar games that were released or were developed. Personally, I don’t want to do something that is in the same tone, I would prefer to do something that takes a different approach and a different perspective to it.”
P.T. received critical acclaim on its release, and its connection to the Silent Hills project was obvious for any PS4 gamer who dared to finish the terrifying teaser trailer. Despite what was clearly a tough time before his delayed, much-publicized departure from Konami, it’s obvious that Kojima had high hopes for his pet project, one that was ripped away from him and the fans. When asked to explain his feelings, he did so aptly.
“Let’s say you’re thinking of climbing Mount Everest, but you start with Mount Fuji first. That goes well and it feels good. Then you’re preparing to climb Mount Everest, and you’re not allowed to. That doesn’t feel good.”
Fuji being P.T. and Everest being Silent Hills — the metaphor is obvious. With Silent Hills cancelled, and the hopes of a million Silent Hill fans dashed, gamers were denied what could have been a truly memorable gaming experience. Set to combine Hideo Kojima, film and horror maestro Guillermo Del Toro, and actor Norman Reedus — who is currently breaking hearts as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead — the game could have been pretty special, and a massive revival for one of the most popular survival horror franchises in modern gaming.
When asked about Silent Hills directly, Kojima gave his predictions on the future of the title, which would no doubt be a completely different entity without his input. He also revealed he isn’t afraid to explore the horror genre a little more for upcoming projects.
“Silent Hills, I don’t think that will ever happen. I would definitely like to explore horror and by horror I don’t mean horror as a genre, but more like the feeling of terror as a theme, as a topic and this is one aspect that gets really close to interactivity of scariness so that is something I would be interested in exploring in the future.”
With his Konami ties severed, Hideo Kojima has now established an independent studio named Kojima Productions. With his wealth of gaming knowledge, this is certainly a company to keep an eye on. The company is already working on its first title, which is expected to be a franchise and will be a PlayStation 4 exclusive. With Kojima’s excellent track record, it should be a matter of when – not if – he can find his creative groove and start pleasing gamers once again. A recent photo on his Twitter feed sparked rumours that a collaboration with Reedus and Del Toro is still in the cards (see below), but with his focus and priority on his own company, expect this to be nothing but whispers at present. Still, never say never.
Reunion with Norman Reedus. Giving update about my own company. pic.twitter.com/1yWMWWGT3q
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) February 16, 2016
So, as fans feared, Silent Hills is officially dead. However, with Hideo Kojima working again, it doesn’t mean the game designer is done with the survival horror genre yet. Silent Hill may be in the rear view mirror — and there are still twelve games of varying enjoyment to play on various consoles — but the future may be bright for Kojima. Despite this, Konami still hold the rights to Silent Hill, and even though no plans exist to generate a new entry in the horror franchise, it’s only a matter of time until they realize there is a demand for it. After all, the furore around Silent Hills was proof that the franchise still has it. All the fans can do is wait and see.
[Image via Konami]
