A new Silent Hill game has appeared on the South Korean ratings board, prompting speculation that an announcement may soon follow.
The surprise listing (via Gematsu) notes this new title as being called “Silent Hill: The Short Message” with UNIANA mentioned as the publisher. For context, this is the same company responsible for bringing other Konami games to South Korea, including the upcoming eFootball 2023. In the past, games have had their titles and release windows leaked by ratings board, so this latest update definitely has some validity over many of the baseless rumours flying around.
Not much is known about this new Silent Hill game though the subtitle “The Short Message” may suggest a demo or preview as opposed to a full game. The franchise has been dormant for some time now, following the release of Silent Hill: Downpour, and the cancellation of Silent Hills, which gave us the unforgettable P.T. – this was helmed by Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding) and would star The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus.
Last year, Konami announced a “strategic partnership” with Bloober Team, the studio best know for recent horror hits such as The Blair Witch and Layers of Fear. We’ve yet to see what the two companies are collaborating on, though a new Silent Hill game seems like a very good guess.
Recently, footage of a Silent Hill 2 remake was leaked online, reportedly showcasing a prototype Bloober Team had shopped to Konami. The status of this project remains unclear though we wouldn’t completely rule it out. One of the biggest modern success stories in the horror genre has been Capcom’s remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. Konami may have looked at this and now wants to get in on the action.
Meanwhile, other rumours suggest that there are in fact multiple Silent Hill games in the pipeline. This may include a PlayStation exclusive reboot that will – get this – see Kojima take the reins once again. Take this with a massive grain of salt, however. There’s no hard evidence to suggest that the project exists, and it’s fair to say that Kojima and Konami don’t have the best relationship following the Metal Gear creator’s dramatic departure to set up his own studio.
We’re sure to find out more in the near future and will keep you posted.
