Amid Silent Hill 2 remake reports, Bloober says it will reveal new games ‘as soon as we can’
Studio also says it requires “creative freedom” when working on another company’s IP
The boss of Bloober Team has said he can’t comment on reports that the Polish studio is remaking Silent Hill 2, but that he hopes to reveal what it is working on as soon as possible.
Speaking to IGN, Bloober CEO Piotr Babieno also said it’s important that the studio be given creative freedom with any projects it takes on using another company’s IP.
The studio behind The Medium, Layers of Fear and Blair Witch has regularly been linked to the Silent Hill franchise over the past 18 months. Last year it announced a “strategic co-operation agreement” with Konami, months after Bloober’s CEO claimed it was working on an existing horror IP from “a very famous gaming publisher”.
And this week it was reported that the studio is working on a remake of fan-favourite 2001 instalment Silent Hill 2. It’s claimed that the remake will feature reworked AI, animations, puzzles and several new endings, and potentially release as a timed exclusive on PlayStation consoles.
“We can’t comment on anything we are doing because we appreciate our relationship with our partners, of course,” Babieno said on the matter. “So we can’t [say] anything.
“We will make an announcement about our future projects as soon as we can,” he added. “So, then you will know much more. Officially.”
Referencing an upcoming title, although not necessarily the one its working on with Konami, Babieno stressed the importance of being able to put the studio’s own spin on its games, even if it isn’t the IP holder.
“I would say that it’s hard to work with someone who [owns an IP you’re working on], but we are always talking with those licensors, [saying] ‘Guys we would like to use your license, but we would like to tell our own story.’
“If we are not able to tell our own story, if we will not have creative freedom, it doesn’t make sense, because Bloober Team will not make a great game.
“If you are in a prison, you will not be able to fly. So that’s why we are trying to only [make] those titles in which we are feeling, ‘OK, it will be a Bloober Team game, not someone [else’s].’ So even on the project we can’t talk [about], it will still be a Bloober Team title.”
Multiple Silent Hill projects are currently in development at studios around the world, sources have told VGC, and could include a remake, a full sequel and a story-focused episodic series.
Last week a collection of leaked concept images appeared to confirm that a new Silent Hill is or was in development. This followed a VGC story from last February, in which we reported that Konami was planning to revive the long-dormant horror game series.
The leaked images are understood to be related to a PT-style teaser game, codenamed ‘Sakura’, which is intended to be released as a free digital title to build anticipation for the larger projects.
VGC first reported on Konami’s plans to ramp up its premium game development last year, with new instalments and remakes for its biggest franchises, including Metal Gear, Castlevania and Silent Hill.