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Silent Hill rumors have gotten as out of hand as his iconic Otherworld right now, and the series’ director has only made that worse.
Silent Hill 2 remake rumors have been bubbling for over a year now, when IP owner Konami teamed up with The Medium developer Bloober Team. Now Christophe Gans, director of the (surprisingly good) 2006 Silent Hill film, seems to have confirmed the remake’s existence in an interview with the French publication. Movie & Game (opens in new tab)while stating that the developer is indeed Bloober Team.
“There are several games in development right now,” Gans said of Silent Hill, adding that he thinks Konami was “really impressed with the success of the Resident Evil remakes, which are clearly exceptional games.”
Gans teaming up with Konami again on Silent Hill can be seen as the director is currently making a sequel to his 2006 adaptation. Though it’s a little harder to pinpoint what these “multiple games” could be. The most notable possibilities are the Silent Hill 2 remake and one subtitled ‘The Short Message’ discovered on the Korean rating board.
In my restless dreams…
It’s not the first time Bloober Team has been linked to a potential Silent Hill 2 remake, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. However, the possibility has always frightened me because, despite the Polish developer’s horrific background, I don’t think they’re right for Silent Hill.
I wasn’t particularly impressed with Layers of Fear or The Medium. And while the latter was a great game, Troy Baker’s lack of fear and goofy acting as the game’s antagonist certainly left me feeling disappointed.
Another reason I’m wary of the idea of a remake is how the original PS2 game used hardware limitations to its strengths. Silent Hill 2’s iconic heavy fog was used not only because it’s unsettling, but also to mask sudden texture pop-in. Likewise, the game’s often claustrophobic environments and camera angles helped conserve resources and keep gameplay smooth.
Now Bloober Team – or whoever is working on a Silent Hill 2 remake – doesn’t have to stick to the same hardware limitations given the power of current-gen consoles like PS5 and Xbox Series X. That means Silent Hill’s key elements 2’s respected atmosphere can be withdrawn. There’s even a precedent for this, with the disastrous Silent Hill HD Collection.
One aspect I did like about The Medium was the remarkable attention to detail in its environments. Without all the supernatural craziness, the game’s asylum environment at times felt like a real place anyway. Likewise, the town of Silent Hill feels like a place where once lived. In that sense, I think Bloober Team is at least up to the task of crafting a compelling modern interpretation of the lakeside city.
In any case, it really feels like Konami won’t be able to contain these rumors for much longer. If a full reveal for at least the Silent Hill 2 remake isn’t on the schedule any time soon, then I imagine it won’t be long before the Japanese publisher completely dismisses the rumors.