In a recent Tweet, Slitterhead's director Keiichiro Toyama has claimed that the game has entered the climax of its development. Slitterhead has been one of the most intriguing horror games announced in recent years, coming from many veterans of the Japanese video game industry. While there has still not been any gameplay revealed for the title since its announcement in December 2021, it appears to be nearing the end of its development.Slitterhead was announced during The Game Awards 2021 as the debut title from Bokeh Game Studio, a brand-new studio founded by multiple key creatives from Sony's defunct Japan Studio. One of these key creatives includes Keiichiro Toyama, director of the original Silent Hill who later left Konami to direct games like Siren and Gravity Rush for PlayStation. After Sony dissolved the studio in 2021 to refocus it around Astro's Playroom developer Team Asobi, Toyama announced the creation of Bokeh Game Studio.While there has been little information revealed regarding Slitterhead since its original reveal in 2021, other than Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka joining the team as the game's composer, the team has spoken of its intention to launch the game in 2023. It seems like the game could be shaping up to hit that release window now as Toyama has retweeted a post from Bokeh Game Studio highlighting job opportunities at the studio including character designs. According to Toyama, Slitterhead's development has entered its climax, and the character design team is facing issues as development ramps up.
While Slitterhead is tentatively scheduled for 2023, with a high likelihood of slipping into 2024, there is some room for speculation as to what Toyama means by the "climax of development." This is a deliberately vague term; for comparison, Atlus has said that Project Re: Fantasy's development has been in its climax since December 2020.
While some may interpret this to mean that the game could be in the final stages of development, it could also mean that the game's development has ramped up in difficulty and is expected to progress smoother once this stage is over. Either way, this hopefully indicates that Slitterhead is far enough into development that 2023 is sure to be the year that Bokeh Game Studios breaks its silence regarding the game and introduces fans to the world of Slitterhead formally. Given that Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Dead Space, Alan Wake, and Alone in the Dark are set to return this year, Slitterhead has some tough competition as a new IP in the horror genre, so the sooner Bokeh Game Studio reveals the game the better.
Slitterhead is currently in development.