The cancellation of Silent Hills has become one of the most controversial moments in recent video game history. The collaboration between acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro and Silent Hill creator Hideo Kojima was a mouth-watering prospect for horror fans, particularly after gamers were given a glimpse of what was on offer with the standalone P.T. When Konami revealed that Silent Hills was no more, survival horror aficionados were left devastated.

Unfortunately, it looks as though the behind the scenes issues have had a disastrous effect on the project. When Hideo Kojima parted ways with Konami, the publisher not only removed P.T. from the PlayStation Store, but also deleted the demo from players’ game libraries. This meant that only gamers with P.T. installed could ever play the title again, prompting entrepreneurial PS4 owners to sell their consoles at ridiculous mark-ups.

Amid the political fallout surrounding Silent Hills, it seems that Konami has tried to eradicate the doomed project from gaming history. It’s not only fans of the Silent Hill series that feel this way either, with co-creator Guillermo del Toro also speaking up about how the publisher has treated his failed horror game. In an interview with IGN, del Toro revealed that he feels as though Silent Hills has been cancelled with a “scorched earth approach.”

Del Toro was specifically talking about the removal of P.T. from the PlayStation Store, continuing to state that he was “surprised” with the actions that Konami has taken. “It was not a gentle and ambiguous cancellation,” said del Toro. According to the director, he felt that Kojima and Konami’s split was “completely unexpected,” and the abrupt cancellation of Silent Hills has left him reeling.

The Pacific Rim creator also took the time to explain a little more about what Silent Hills would have tried to achieve. Del Toro, who is a self-professed fan of the Silent Hill series, explained that the “beautiful” collaboration would have used cutting-edge technology to create as terrifying a game experience as possible. The director explained that the game would have been “atmosphere-drenched,” building on the Silent Hill mythology in interesting new ways. As it stands, however, it looks as though Silent Hills is unlikely to ever see the light of day.

There is, thankfully, a slim ray of hope for fans of the series looking to see the project in some way, shape or form. “I would love for somebody to change their mind,” said del Toro, hoping that someone would pay attention to the hugely popular petition to bring the game back from the dead. The director seems willing to work on the project once more, stating that he would be “more than happy” to collaborate with Kojima again. With such fan support for the project, perhaps the duo could take to crowdfunding to see the ideas of Silent Hills come to fruition. With the successful Kickstarter backing of the likes of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Yooka-Laylee, there’s certainly a precedent for veterans of the industry to go direct to their fans for financial backing.

Source: IGN