Update: Microsoft has officially denied the rumor.
April may have given us Killing Floor 2 and introduced Jason Voorhees to Mortal Kombat X, but it will forever be known as the month that Konami decided to burn everything to the ground, including the hugely promising Silent Hills. I held out hope for news of its revival longer than I ever have for a prematurely canned video game, and now that I’m finally ready to move on, this happens.
If you missed the big news, the gist of it is this: a rumor spread earlier today claiming Microsoft has been in talks with Konami to purchase the publishing rights to their dead-but-still-pretty-warm survival horror game with the goal of making it an Xbox One exclusive.
Assuming it’s legit, this would be a very smart move on Microsoft’s part. Sony has been steadily accruing an impressive library of console exclusives such as Bloodborne, SOMA, Kodoku, DayZ, Daylight, The Forest, H1Z1, Killing Floor 2, The Order: 1886 and Until Dawn for the PS4, but a high profile horror game like Silent Hills would go a long way in closing that gap.
The idea that the Silent Hill franchise’s last chance at being relevant again could rise from the ashes left after Konami set fire to it sounds like good news, and it is, just not for everyone. I get why some folks would be upset upon hearing that it might become an Xbox One exclusive.
Exclusives are great for everyone except for the people who actually play the games, so if you’re reluctant or unwilling to join the rest of the Internet in our cautious excitement for what might end up being an unbelievably cruel joke, I’d like to know!
And just in case you’ve forgotten why Silent Hills got the world so excited in the first place, this concept trailer for the game does a fine job of selling its unique brand of terror.
