It’s been years since Konami has released a game in the Silent Hill series, with the last entry being an unfortunate entry in the company’s pachinko line-up. But it could be planning something fairly soon, as a new trademark suggests that the franchise might be making a return.
An application filed over on the Government of Canada page shows a clear filing for Silent Hill by Konami Digital Entertainment Company back on July 25, 2019. Though it doesn’t state specifically what the trademark is in regards to, it does show it’s related to “video games.” The listing also suggests “computer games” and “conducting computer game competitions,” though Silent Hill releases have been solo affairs for the most part.
Now, before anyone gets all excited about the return of Silent Hill, there is one thing to keep in mind. This could simply just be a filing to assure that the franchise stays in Konami’s hands. The previous trademark was set to expire on December 6 of this year, so the publisher may just be making sure that it doesn’t expire anytime soon. That doesn’t guarantee any sort of re-release or anything.
But then again, the company has been on a retro kick as of late. It released Contra, Castlevania and Arcade collections earlier this summer, all of which have been well received by fans. So a Silent Hill collection for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch wouldn’t be a bad idea – especially around Halloween time.
And Konami trying to make something up to Silent Hill fans wouldn’t be a bad idea. Years ago, it was set to produce the AAA release Silent Hills, with Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro producing, and starring The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus. But somewhere along the way, the project got scuttled, along with the infamous P.T. demo that went along with it (though you can get it back). As a result, many fans haven’t been able to forgive the publisher. But at least Kojima and company have been able to make something out of it, with Death Stranding set to release on PlayStation 4 later this year.
Konami hasn’t said a word about the trademark, so there’s nothing officially happening at this point. But fingers crossed that they’re doing something with the franchise again fairly soon. Hopefully with an improved Silent Hill HD Collection that does away with the problems that plagued the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. We’ll let you know once anything is officially announced.
Source: Government of Canada (via ComicBook)