Did you notice something off about January's Game Guide? It was probably the absence of the Silent Hill HD Collection, which Konami has now confirmed won't be making its planned release date and will be delayed farther into Q1 2012.

Konami recently made the clarification to Joystiq, saying Silent Hill HD will arrive at retailers in March, though a solid date isn't available at present. This is the second delay the Silent Hill Collection has seen, as it was due for release in Autumn of 2011 before being pushed back to January.

We hope that these delays are just that, and shouldn't be taken as a bad omen towards the game's development. On the plus side, it's possible that this delay could be to give the team at Konami the time to fit Silent Hill 4: The Room onto the disc. The game has been surprisingly absent from the HD collection, so the more optimistic fans out there might want to cross their fingers that the delay will be made up in some way or another.

Konami's upcoming foray into the Silent Hill universe, Silent Hill: Downpour is also supposed to have a March release date, which makes us wonder if the delay could be planned to create incentives to purchase both titles. Achievement addicts know no boundaries, so there would be some willing to pick up the Silent Hill HD Collection if it meant unlocked extra content in Downpour. Of course this is all speculation, but it does seem odd to place both titles so close to one another.

Unless the Silent Hill HD Collection is in such bad shape that it needs another month of development, this doesn't seem like the best move for Konami. January is a very sparse month for game releases, and the Silent Hill Collection would have been a guaranteed seller. It would also give Konami the chance to open up the franchise to gamers who did not play the titles when they were first released, which could lead to a much larger audience for Downpour.

Hopefully whatever they're planning works out for the best, as March is a crowded enough month as it is.

The Silent Hill HD Collection is set to release this March for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Source: Joystiq