Silent Hill rumors are as out of control as their iconic Otherworld at this point, and the show's director has only exacerbated that.
Rumors of a Silent Hill 2 remake have been bubbling for over a year now, as IP owner Konami teamed up with developer The Medium Bloober Team. Now, Christophe Gans, director of the (surprisingly good) 2006 film Silent Hill, appears to have confirmed the remake's existence in an interview with French publication Movie & Game (opens in a new tab), while claiming that its developer it's alright Bloober Team. .
"There are a number of games in development as we speak," Gans said of Silent Hill, adding that he thinks Konami has been "really impressed with the success of the new versions of Resident Evil, which are obviously exceptional games."
Gans is once again working with Konami on Silent Hill, as the director is currently making a sequel to his 2006 adaptation. Though it's a little harder to pin down what those "multiple games" might be. The biggest possibilities are the Silent Hill 2 remake and the subtitled "The Short Message" discovered in the Korean ranking.
In my restless dreams...
(*two*)
(Image credit: Bloober team)This isn't the first time Bloober Team has linked to a potential Silent Hill 2 remake, and I'm sure it won't be the last. However, the possibility has always made me anxious because, despite the Polish developer's horror background, I don't think they're a good fit for Silent Hill.
I wasn't particularly impressed with Layers of Fear or The Medium. And while the latter is a perfectly successful game, its lack of scares and ridiculous performance from Troy Baker as the game's antagonist definitely let me down.
Another reason I cringe at a remake is how the original PS2 game used hardware limitations to its strengths. Silent Hill 2's signature thick fog was used not only because it's unsettling, but also to mask a sudden texture. Similarly, the game's often claustrophobic environments and camera angles helped save resources and keep the game flowing.
Now the Bloober Team, or whoever ends up 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 key elements. from The revered atmosphere of Silent Hill 2 could be removed. There's even a precedent for it, with the disastrous Silent Hill HD Collection.
However, one aspect that I liked about The Medium was its remarkable attention to detail in its environments. Without all the supernatural craziness, the game's asylum setting felt like a real place at times. Likewise, the town of Silent Hill looks like a place that was once inhabited. In that sense, I think Bloober Team is at least up to the task of creating a compelling modern interpretation of the city by the lake.
In any case, we really have the impression that Konami will not be able to contain these rumors for much longer. If a full reveal for at least the Silent Hill 2 remake isn't in the cards soon, then I imagine it won't be long before the Japanese publisher dismisses the rumors altogether.