Bloober Team S.A. has revealed new concept art by Masahiro Ito for the remake of the game Silent Hill 2.
In 2022, after years of speculation about the possible return of Silent Hill games, Konami officially announced a slew of new Silent Hill-themed projects. One of these projects is the Silent Hill 2 remake, a game made from scratch by the Bloober Team.
Some people who worked on the classic game, like Ito and Akira Yamaoka, returned to work on this version.
At Game Invest Forum, the Polish video game developer recently showed off some revised artwork of the Bubble Head Nurse, who has undergone minor cosmetic alterations from the original.
The most noticeable difference between this version and the classic one is that the remake character dresses in stockings and garters and wears heels and ankle straps. Meanwhile, the original character had bare legs and wore flat shoes.
The bubble head nurse image is flipped horizontally, though. https://t.co/XyhMhQsajw
— 伊藤暢達/Masahiro Ito (@adsk4) March 7, 2023
Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake
Although the developers confirmed that the Silent Hill 2 remake wouldn’t have new enemies, adjustments, such as main protagonist James Sunderland’s chronological age, are being made.
In addition to that, the studio plans to alter its storytelling approach. Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno told IGN at DICE Summit 2023 that he wanted to make more complex horror games.
The CEO said that Bloober wanted to be known as the studio that shapes the future of scary video games, especially since he noticed that more and more people were turning to scary games to escape from the real world.
Babieno said the team wished to create meaningful games by telling stories about “important things” to them. “However, not by environmental storytelling, but by full action, to have much more mass appeal,” he said.
Bloober Team’s chief marketing officer, Anna Jasińska, also assured that the development team is not “missing the point” with the story remake.
She said the team is also working hard to recreate the “distinct, visceral atmosphere” of Silent Hill 2 in the modernized version.
Jasińska promised the game’s diehard fans that the studio wouldn’t stray too far from the original vision while making changes to freshen up the title.
Prior to her remarks, there were rumors that Bloober Team reportedly signed a deal with Konami to create a Silent Hill 2 remake with new endings.
Industry insider Ryan “Dusk Golem” of Yai Gameworks, also known as AestheticGamer1 on Twitter, started the speculations by sharing images from a rumored new Silent Hill game. The images’ prompt removal due to copyright claims lends credence to their legitimacy.
A gaming observer known as NateTheHate2 on Twitter also revealed the details of the Silent Hill 2 remake on Twitter. Nate said that the developers had redesigned puzzles and new endings. According to Nate, it may also be released as a scheduled exclusive on PlayStation consoles.
These remarks further fueled the long-standing speculation that Konami planned to release multiple Silent Hill games in the coming years, including the remake, a new main installment and side stories.
Bloober Team, Konami collaboration in the future
When asked if the studio’s Silent Hill 2 remake means that Bloober would keep making Silent Hill games for Konami in the future, Babieno said, “I’m not going to say never.”
Babieno admitted that Konami has been keen to speak with the studio. However, for now, Bloober’s attention is solely on Silent Hill 2 and its covert project with Private Division.
He admitted that the Tokyo-based company had had a lot of bad press in recent years due to things like Hideo Kojima’s acrimonious departure and reports of dehumanizing work culture.
“I do understand that people are a little bit angry at Konami for the stuff which happened in the past,” Babieno said. He urged people to give Konami time and insisted that the Japanese video game giant “know what they are doing.”
