SILENT HILL Transmission (EN) | May 30, 2024 | KONAMI

Hello, everyone.

Welcome to the SILENT HILL Transmission, where we share news and information on SILENT HILL.

I’m the Producer for the SILENT HILL series, Motoi Okamoto.

Last time, we introduced a number of new titles,

but today, for our second Transmission,

I’d like to focus on SILENT HILL 2.

Make sure you stick around until the end.

We’ve just shown a new SILENT HILL 2 trailer on Sony Interactive's State of Play,

but, we still have even more new gameplay we'd like to share with you here.

Please, enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed the preview.

SILENT HILL 2 is a fan favorite of the series, and a true psychological horror game.

While preserving the story, we are rebuilding the game to deliver an even more immersive and enjoyable experience.

And as you also heard in Sony Interactive's State of Play,

we're pleased to share our launch date: October 8th.

SILENT HILL 2 will be available on PlayStation®︎5 and Steam®︎.

And starting today, you can pre-order the game on the PlayStationTM Store and Steam®︎.

Please stay tuned as we walk you through our pre-order bonus content, then find us on your store of choice!

Now, let’s take a look at the different editions of the game.

For the Standard Edition (Download Version), if you pre-order,

you’ll receive an in-game Mira the Dog mask as a bonus.

Additionally, on PlayStation®︎5

you can also receive an exclusive Robbie the Rabbit mask.

Next, we also have a Deluxe Edition of the game.

To dig even deeper into the world of SILENT HILL 2,

the Deluxe Edition includes a digital artbook, soundtrack,

and in-game Pyramid Head mask.

The artbook contains over 130 pieces of art and designs by concept artist Masahiro Ito,

covering monsters, characters, and locations from the game.

And for the soundtrack, Akira Yamaoka returns,

with newly created songs and new arrangements of classic tracks.

Both items will be sure to please series fans,

so please look forward to getting to enjoy them.

Deluxe Edition pre-orders also come with the Mira the Dog mask,

and on PlayStation®︎5, a Robbie the Rabbit mask.

And as an added bonus,

Deluxe Edition pre-orders will include

a 48-hour early access period.

Here, you can see a comparison

of pre-order bonuses and contents for each Edition.

If you'd like to really immerse yourself in the world of SILENT HILL 2,

and start playing as soon as possible,

we suggest you be sure to pre-order the Deluxe Edition.

We’re accepting pre-orders now, so we hope everyone will take advantage.

And now, we would like to share a special message from Bloober Team,

our partners who are developing the SILENT HILL 2 remake along with us at KONAMI.

Take it away.

I am very excited for people to play this game.

There's no one aspect that I could say that I want people to experience,

because I want people to experience all of it.

It's such a journey, it's such a big part of our lives,

and I just want people to be able to see it.

I think the biggest challenge that we've had

was actually how to make the game approachable

for newcomers who have not played the original.

But at the same time,

to still retain the familiarity of the game that players remember from 20 years ago.

Our goal from the very beginning was

to maintain the game's atmosphere,

while modernizing the gameplay to make it competitive in 2024.

In the remake, the story remains largely the same.

However, with the magic of modern technology,

we're able to expand on some of its aspects.

The hardest was designing combat.

We want to be as faithful as possible to the original game.

But also, we want players to feel satisfaction while playing,

remembering that we need to fit in the horror genre standards.

So when making a game with static cameras,

you as a designer have much more control over what players see, where they go, and so on.

The change for the third person perspective was... a challenge.

That being said, it's a chance for us to expand this world,

to show the players new elements that were previously inaccessible,

and just make this game richer.

So, the main thing that required rethinking was the fog.

Because it was a classic part in the original game,

and a veil that covers the world

and makes the player feel even more isolated.

New technologies give us a chance to do things that

were not possible during the older generations of video games.

For narrative, this is very visible in facial expressions.

We can tell so much through just the subtle changes

on characters' faces.

The presented gameplay footage shows

a fragment of the city from the beginning of the game,

and sections in Brookhaven Hospital.

Fighting against monsters is prepared in a more tactical form,

and is mainly based on the varied designs of the enemies.

James is not used to fighting,

so his arsenal of attacks is limited.

Adapting your approach to the situation

will be the key to success.

However, your playing style, among other things,

determines what ending you will discover.

Everyone involved in this remake are such great fans of SILENT HILL 2.

They're truly dedicated to delivering a quality game, and we all have that to look forward to.

Additionally, we have a few words from the game cast who play James, and Mary and Maria.

Let's watch.

So I’m Luke Roberts,

and I'm playing James Sunderland in the remake of SILENT HILL 2.

My name is Salóme Gunnarsdóttir, and I play Mary/Maria.

When you're playing an iconic character such as James Sunderland,

you obviously have to respect the original.

When playing these characters in this game, the thing that I payed the most attention to

was the original game.

So, he is not an action hero by any means.

He is just a guy who is a little lost at the top of this game.

And in a sense of -

He is, to a greater extent, in a bewildered state,

so it is very interesting, charting his journey.

This one,

we're trying to honor something that's already been made.

And so, it's not me creating something,

it's me channeling something.

The tone of this game is very important.

And the team at Bloober were very keen to create

an incredible atmosphere for the gamers.

I do believe that this will be trying its very best

to capture and recapture

the atmosphere, the vibe, and the story,

and sometimes, the literal words and moments of the original.

We're using performance capture to render the cast’s expressions and motions,

meaning you can look forward to even more chilling character performances in this remake.

That’s all that’s new for the game, but it’s not all we have to share today.

We’d also like to show you a new preview for the upcoming film, RETURN TO SILENT HILL.

Take a look.

I came to adapt SILENT HILL 2 with respect and passion.

It's an act of passion for me.

I consider that the four first games are masterpieces.

Very modern and very transgressive pieces of art.

The second game is the most adult out of all the SILENT HILLs.

It's the story of James Sunderland.

He has lost his beloved bride, and he decides to go back to Silent Hill to find her.

And he realizes that, basically, the town has changed.

It's become something like hell, his own hell.

And he's going through all the circles of hell to find his wife.

And find also, somewhere, the truth about himself.

This film adds an emotional layer to the horror,

and certainly because of that, the horror is even more disturbing,

even more unsettling.

I consider that the first film was like an epic journey of horror.

This one is much more like a deep dive

into psychological horror.

In the first film,

the production design of SILENT HILL WAS the big thing.

I remember that all my energy was on it.

On this one, I had the great surprise

to realize that the people who were going to help me

on the production design,

But also on the makeup, but also on the costume, but also on every level of the film...

I had in front of me very young technicians

who knew the game, the film, and loved them.

The level of enthusiasm that I met on this film,

to create that strange world of SILENT HILL,

was quite unexpected.

I was thinking to myself, "okay, I will have to explain a lot of this film to my crew."

And in fact... No. I didn't have to.

Because there was a 2.0 generation of SILENT HILL lovers,

and that helped me a lot.

And I think that the level of design on this film is so high

because it's made by people who knew the film and the game.

So that's very gratifying and very emotional, somewhere.

Christophe is really faithful and respectful to SILENT HILL,

and that's why KONAMI has always been really supportive.

We are working on their property,

and we are working on their... Oh, let's say the word: treasure.

I kept one of the main ideas from the first film,

which is that all the creatures

are played by dancers and acrobats.

If the first film has not aged badly,

it's because the creatures were actually

in front of the actors, on the set.

So all the monsters on this film are played by a real person. Gifted physical actors.

They have created a level of strangeness

and harmony into the monstrosity of these things.

Which I think... is actually very disturbing.

Akira Yamaoka is not only the composer of the first four original games of the franchise,

he was also the producer and director of the games.

So, Akira Yamaoka, through his music,

has given to the games more than just the sound.

He gave the soul of the games.

And I have a great knowledge about soundtracks,

but I don't know any other music which could be like the one of SILENT HILL.

Yes, Akira Yamaoka is on this film.

That's very important for me, you know,

because I'm working on HIS creation.

I never forgot that.

It's exactly like adapting a great book.

It's important to show respect and humility into his process.

And that was our latest look at RETURN TO SILENT HILL. What did you think?

You can think of it as another version of SILENT HILL 2, a little different from the game,

but I hope you'll enjoy them both.

Next, I'd like to introduce some new SILENT HILL merchandise items.

First, we have some new items inspired by SILENT HILL 2.

Our first item is by Good Smile Company.

We will be producing a Nendoroid of Red Pyramid Thing, as appearing in the SILENT HILL 2 remake.

You can customize the series' iconic monster with a swappable Great Knife and Great Spear.

Next up,

from Gecco, the Inu-End 1/6 Scale Coin Bank Statue

opens for pre-orders today!

This statue captures the moment that the hidden "Dog Ending" reveals that

Mira the Shiba Inu has been controlling the events of the story all along.

Of course, this statue is more than a simple decoration,

with the inclusion of a coin bank in the control panel making it a practical item indeed.

Next, Fanattik launches various goods featuring SILENT HILL key items.

Up first is this "Coin Puzzle Set"

faithful to the original key items in SILENT HILL 2.

They are replicas of 3 coins that players put into hollows in the dresser inside room 105 of Blue Creek Apartment.

All 3 coins are displayed together in a special box referencing the puzzle.

Next, we have the "Purple Bull Keycard."

This is also based on a key item from SILENT HILL 2.

Players need to obtain this card to solve the "Louise" Box Puzzle in Brookhaven Hospital.

The cards are numbered as one of 5,000 worldwide.

Of course, we still have even more planned,

Please find more information on the official website of Fanattik.

We are also proud to announce these special items from the OFFICIAL KONAMI SHOP.

Up first, James' Jacket.

The design is based on the jacket

worn by the main character of SILENT HILL 2, James Sunderland.

Simple, but with a mysterious cool,

it's perfect for any hero with secrets of their own.

Try on James' Jacket, and you just might feel a bit of the dark and gloomy mood of SILENT HILL creeping in.

We also have this SILENT HILL 2 Key Art Shadowbox,

creating a 3D display for the game's key art!

Enjoy the otherworldly atmosphere of SILENT HILL in the comfort of your own home with this display piece.

All these and more are available on the OFFICIAL KONAMI SHOP, so please check our website for more information!

And next, let’s move on to SILENT HILL: The Short Message, now available free on PlayStation®︎5.

This short-form title, with over 2.5 million downloads to date,

revisits themes from the SILENT HILL series

while delivering a message for a contemporary audience.

This original game is enjoyable even without experience with the SILENT HILL series,

so please give it a try.

And from The Short Message, we also have some fantastic new items.

From Gecco, this 1/6 Scale Sakura Head Statue is now open for pre-orders.

With a design fully overseen by Concept Artist Masahiro Ito,

this statue captures the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms,

and the fear and dread of being pursued through the Otherworld, felt by players everywhere.

Extra care has been given to the body line and shaping of the legs to draw out the unsettling feeling behind the veneer of beauty.

And from the same title, we have the SILENT HILL: The Short Message ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK.

The soundtrack is composed by SILENT HILL series veteran, Akira Yamaoka.

This soundtrack is packed with over 80 songs, including tracks not included in the game,

making this a must-have for dedicated fans.

The soundtrack is out now on digital platforms and streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music.

Well, those were some exciting offerings, weren’t they?

These items are perfect for anyone who would like to own a little piece of SILENT HILL.

Now, we’re almost done for today, but let me return briefly to today’s biggest news.

SILENT HILL 2 will be coming October 8th,

and pre-orders are open as of today!

So once the stream’s over, please, take a look.

I’m very happy to have been able to share these new updates for SILENT HILL 2 today.

I hope you will all remain eager for the game in the time until launch.

And as for this program, the SILENT HILL Transmission,

we plan to continue to bring you updates and new information on the SILENT HILL series,

so please stay tuned.

Thank you all for joining us today.