The Silent Hill 2 remake in development by Bloober Team is among the most anticipated survival-horror games coming in the future, and for very good reasons, as the second entry in the series by Konami is one of the finest games ever made. Some, however, are worried that the remake by the Polish team will not be a faithful recreation of the original, but it seems like this will not be the case.
Speaking with DreadXP, Bloober Team's Chief Marketing Officer Anna Jasińska has been asked about the game and how it came to be. Apparently, Konami invited the Polish developer alongside others to Tokyo Game Show 2019, asking them to prepare a concept for a Silent Hill 2 remake. Bloober's concept is the one that, according to Chief Marketing Officer, "stole Konami's heart", and made them recognize the studio's passion and commitment to horror.
The idea of working on this project stalked us for many years, and in 2019, we received an invitation from Konami to participate in the Tokyo Games Show. To our delight, Konami asked us to prepare a concept for a remake of the original game’s second installment in exchange for the opportunity of bringing the concept to life. Of course, we weren’t the only contenders. Many other studios were vying for cooperation as well, but in the end, our concept was the one that stole Konami’s heart. They recognized our commitment and passion for horror, and that alone was an enormous distinction for us.
Speaking about potential story changes, Anna Jasińska has been very clear, saying that they are faithfully sticking to the traditional story canon. On the other hand, the team has some ideas on how to make the game's scare factors more appealing to the contemporary audience.
We are focusing on bringing the distinct, visceral atmosphere back in the modernized Silent Hill 2. Longtime fans shouldn’t worry about us “missing the point” while we’re livening up the title. We faithfully stick to the traditional story canon while remaking the gameplay and updating the graphics from the ground up. These are the reasons why Konami entrusted us with the remake in the first place.
A big visible change is the adoption of an over-the-shoulder camera, which altered the perspective of a few iconic set pieces, but also meant an overhaul to the combat system. The latest technological achievements do wonder when it comes to making the visuals pop. As you see, we are not straying away from the original concept of making this cult classic; we just have some ideas on how to make the peculiar scare factors more appealing to the contemporary audience.
This doesn't mean that the Silent Hill 2 remake will not have any change outside of visual and gameplay improvements, as Bloober Team is applying adjustments to certain areas that require modernization.
As aforementioned, we take a very safe approach to any changes. We remain faithful to the original title. Nonetheless, we are applying adjustments to certain areas where things need modernizing due to the passage of time.
The Silent Hill 2 remake is currently in development for PC and consoles, and will release on a yet-to-be-confirmed release date worldwide. Other Silent Hill projects are also in the works, including The Short Message and three unannounced ones.
