During a recent interview with IGN at DICE Summit 2023, Piotr Babieno, the CEO of Bloober Team, revealed that Konami is interested in conversations with his studio about developing more Silent Hill remakes. While he didn’t confirm whether or not they will take on the task, Babieno revealed that he won’t discard the idea.
Babieno also used the interview as an opportunity to defend Konami, which has been the subject of controversy in recent years recently given its lackluster approach to new releases, Hideo Kojima’s controversial departure in 2015, and reports of a toxic work culture.
The writer and game director expressed his trust in the people in charge of Konami Gaming stating that they understand how gaming works. In his words, "They came from companies which worked on many great projects, and I'm pretty sure that they are making great choices by choosing partners, by choosing projects…And I do understand that people are a little bit angry at Konami for the stuff which happened in the past, but I would like to say, give them the time, because they do know what they are doing."
During the interview, Babieno also expressed his belief that his company is entering a new phase of its existence. He expressed his plan for Bloober Team to develop original, complex titles in the horror genre that will compete with industry heavyweights like The Last of Us and Resident Evil. He also revealed his desire for the studio to build a reputation for defining the future of horror video games.
Despite his ambition, Babieno does not intend to lose sight of what makes his studio unique. In his words, "We still would like to make meaningful games, we still would like to keep our DNA to tell [stories] about things which are important to us. However, not by environmental storytelling, but by full action, to have much more mass appeal. And I think that this is the reason why we have chosen Silent Hill."
Silent Hill is one of the most popular and commercially successful games ever made. A genre-defining survival horror title, the first game was originally released in 1999 and went on to form the basis for a media franchise that includes numerous video games, a visual novel, and a feature film. The original is also considered one of the greatest games of all time by many and an appearance on a 2012 Times list of 100 greatest video games lends weight to that opinion.
Last year, reports emerged that Konami is reviving the entire franchise and Bloober Team was one of the studios they hired for the revival. Apart from Bloober Team, which is working on Silent Hill 2 Remake, Konami also has No Code working on Silent Hill: Townfall and Neobards Entertainment working on Silent Hill F.
By the way, video games aren't the only Silent Hill media that Konami is trying to revive. Last year, reports emerged that it had hired Christopher Gans to direct a live-action film based on Silent Hill 2.
In other news, Bloober Team has another massive title in the works. The Polish studio is currently working on a third entry of its horror game series Layers of Fear, which fans will be delighted to hear arrives sometime in June.
While there is currently no release date for Silent Hill 2, Babieno revealed last October that it is near completion and may arrive sooner than expected. On the other hand, Konami previously said that it's still open to working on more Silent Hill titles with other studios amidst reports that it has several other unannounced projects at the moment. It's possible Konami is using the Silent Hill 2 remake as a way to see if Bloober Team deserves the keys to the multi-media franchise.
