Few video game franchises command as much anticipation as Konami's Silent Hill. Alongside Resident Evil, the series is famed for being one of the original icons of the survival horror genre that has gone on to inspire titles like Dead Space and The Callisto Project. Considering that legacy and how long the series has been on hiatus, the recent online event showcasing the future of the Silent Hill franchise was a huge deal for fans.
Silent Hill hasn't seen an installment since Silent Hill: Downpour in March 2012, so it's no wonder that anticipation for a new game has been so enthusiastic. Since that release, the closest fans have come to a new title was PT, directed by Hideo Kojima in collaboration with Guillermo del Toro. The game was a teaser for Silent Hills before its cancelation due to Konami and Kojima's falling out. After that there seemed to be a new rumor about Silent Hill every few weeks, but now, October 2022's Silent Hill Transmission has offered fans the welcome news of multiple new projects in the works.
Silent Hill F
The biggest news coming out of the Silent Hill Transmission was the announcement of Silent Hill F, a brand-new mainline game in the series. Silent Hill F will be developed by NeoBards Entertainment, best known as the studio developing Resident Evil Re:Verse, a multiplayer entry in its titular franchise that is set to release on October 28. Written by Ryukishi07, creator of the When They Cry visual novel series, the story is set in 1960s Japan where creepy red tendrils and a trypophobia-inducing monster seem to be causing havoc. It's a creature design that seems as beautiful as it is horrifying.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
Also announced during the Silent Hill Transmission was a remake of Silent Hill 2. Considered one of the best in the series, if not one of the greatest video games of all time, a Silent Hill 2 remake has been rumored for some time now, so its confirmation might be as exciting as an entirely new game. The reveal also confirmed rumors that the game will be a PS5 console exclusive, but it will also come to PC. Development is being undertaken by Bloober Team, the studio behind The Medium, working alongside the original game's artist Masahiro Ito and composer Akira Yamaoka. The remake brings over-the-shoulder, third-person gameplay as well as massive visual upgrades through Unreal Engine 5.
Silent Hill: Townfall
One of the more cryptic reveals from the Silent Hill Transmission was Silent Hill: Townfall. All that was shown for this project is a short clip of a voice on a radio describing the eerie events in the town of Silent Hill, with some spooky scenes appearing on-screen. The game is being developed by No Code Studios under Annapurna and Konami. It's a significant task for the AA studio behind Observation and Stories Untold, which has reportedly had to double its team size to work on Silent Hill Townfall. Creative director Jon McKellan later confirmed there is more news on the way this year.
Silent Hill: Ascension
One of the more surprising announcements from the Silent Hill Transmissions was Silent Hill: Ascension, a real-time interactive event where fans will control the story. It seems to be a sizable project, involving collaboration between Genvid Entertainment, J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Games, Behaviour Interactive of Dead by Daylight fame, and dj2 Entertainment. The trailer only showed a monster and a live chat reaction. Based on that, it may end up being an experience somewhere between something like Twitch Plays Pokemon, but with an interactive film feel like Immortality or Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. It has been said that what fans decide during the event is permanent, and will shape the series' canon forever.
Return to Silent Hill
Return to Silent Hill, the third film based on the series, had a trailer at the event. Return to Silent Hill will be a reboot of the film series based on the story of Silent Hill 2 directed by Christophe Gans, who also directed the first film adaptation. That Silent Hill film was a box office hit when it was released in 2006, but was critically slated, as is the case with many film adaptations of video games. But that seems less true in recent years with films like Detective Pikachu and series like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners impressing both commercially and critically - examples that Gans will hopefully look to follow with Silent Hill.