Silent Hill was one of the world’s most popular game franchises before it was unceremoniously cancelled back in 2015, so fans were excited to hear the news that a new game would be coming out this year. But it is not the sort of game fans had expected.
Released 20 years ago, the original Silent Hill “shocked the games industry with its tense world of terror” with each scene more nightmarish than the last. Alongside Resident Evil, the game create the horror/survival genre of videogame in the late 90s and early 2000s, and has had a lasting impact on the games industry more broadly with its weaker and more confused protagonist, which stands in sharp contrast to the traditional heroes gamers play in the majority of titles.
The latest game, however, is focused less on the horrors of a confusing and apocalyptic landscape and more on Konami generating the most revenues from nostalgia of a genre-defining game. Yahoo Finance reports that Konami’s igaming subsidiary has launched a new slot machine called Silent Hill Escape, which makes use of the games “thrilling scenes, sounds, and characters from Konami’s recognised entertainment legacy”.
Whilst gamers may remember the Konami name best for titles such as Castlevania, Contra, Frogger, Metal Gear, Pro Evolution Soccer, and Silent Hill, the company actually originated as a jukebox company and has long been a major player in producing machines for the casino floor from its US base in Las Vegas. And they are not alone amongst game developers, many of which see gambling as a relatively easy way to generate additional revenues from past popular titles. Many top-rated UK casino websites offer games with names licensed from popular videogames, movies, or even pop bands, but Konami is rare in that they manufacture physical gambling machines as well.
For gamers that are disappointed by the news that the new Silent Hill game is not the sort that will make it to their favourite platform, some technically savvy individuals are still discovering new playable content from the Silent Hills playable teaser that was released back in 2014 before the game was cancelled.
