It sounds like Bloober Team and Konami’s relationship is under further strain after an interview emerged in which the developer of the Silent Hill 2 remake pointed the finger at its own publisher for a recently released and divisive gameplay trailer.
In January, after months of speculation and leaks, Blooper Team's remake of Silent Hill 2 finally resurfaced during PlayStation’s State of Play presentation, albeit without a release date.
But the new trailer, below, was criticised by some for focusing on combat in what is meant to be a tense, horror-filled adventure. “I'm really concerned after that trailer,” wrote IGN commenter MasterChief3624. “I think Silent Hill is at its best when it uses the fixed camera angles. But even putting that aside, it looks like it has a lot more action? Maybe that was just to make the game look more enticing to people, but it seemed like action was a much bigger focus, with lots of enemies around him at various points in the trailer.
“I know you sometimes have a few enemies to contend with at a time, but this looked like it might hike up the frequency of it. It really feels like they're sacrificing atmosphere for action, and I think Silent Hill is the absolute worst franchise you could do that to. I hope I'm wrong. But this doesn't look good.”
Now, Bloober Team studio head Piotr Babieno has spoken out about the trailer in a video interview with inwestorzy.tv that appears to have been set to private. But Eurogamer Poland picked up on the interview and reported what was said. Eurogamer’s UK site subsequently offered a translation.
According to the site, Babieno said trailers such as the one that appeared in the State of Play are handled by Konami. “It's not the spirit of what used to be, or what we're creating now," Babieno said of the trailer. According to Babieno, Bloober Team is working to "fully capture this romantic vision of a game that debuted 22 years ago," adding that when players see more gameplay they will "judge it in a completely different way."
This isn’t the first time Bloober Team has issued a comment that hints at a strained relationship with Konami behind the scenes. Last year it responded to fans frustrated about the silence around the Silent Hill 2 remake to point the finger at Konami, saying: “Communication is definitely part of their job.”
IGN has asked both Bloober and Konami for clarification on the latest comments. Silent Hill 2 remake is due out on PC via Steam and as a console exclusive for PlayStation 5. It does not have a release window.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
