Silent Hill and Resident Evil are closely associated franchises. Both are iconic survival horror series that debuted on the original PlayStation, and are beloved by millions of gamers. Additionally, both franchises went through a rough spot, where game releases were controversial and critics were not impressed.
This rough patch is exemplified by 2012, when Resident Evil offered the bloated Resident Evil 6 and unimpressive Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, while Silent Hill released the mediocre Silent Hill: Downpour and disastrous Silent Hill HD Collection. However, since then, Capcom has turned Resident Evil around completely, whereas Konami has simply left Silent Hill to rot.
Since 2012, Konami has offered the world Silent Hill Pachinko machines. The only foray for the series in the world of video games has been licensed DLC for Behaviour Interactive's Dead by Daylight. While Resident Evil has gone from strength to strength, Konami has practically given up producing video games altogether, focusing almost entirely on gambling with its Pachinko endeavors.
Of course, when discussing Silent Hill in the present day, it is imperative to mention what could have been. When P.T. released in 2014, it set the world on fire. It was branded one of the most horrifying video game experiences in years, and the internet's collective efforts to complete the game revealed that it was a teaser for a brand new Silent Hill game, titled Silent Hills, from Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. Unfortunately, the title was ultimately canceled, and Kojima left Konami after disputes that took place during the development of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Silent Hill's influence on the gaming industry cannot be overstated. The series clearly inspired modern horror franchises, such as Tango Gamework's The Evil Within. Its original releases remain some of the most well-liked survival horror games ever, and Silent Hill 2 in particular is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. The reach of the series is so vast that the monstrous Pyramid Head is recognizable to people who have never even played a Silent Hill game. Silent Hills' cancellation is still viewed as one of the great "what-ifs" of the industry.
Fans have blamed Konami for the series' decline and the cancellation of Silent Hills. The company appears to have alienated its top talent and pushed them away, reportedly mistreating employees at all levels. In recent years, it has prioritized profit margins over creativity, which is evident by the way it has abandoned developing games for consoles in favor of mobile gaming and Pachinko. The controversial Metal Gear Survive, a poorly-received entry in the beloved franchise that released after Konami and Kojima cut ties, can be seen as the once-great game developer and publisher mistakenly believing it could produce games without the visionaries it once collaborated with.
Silent Hill clearly deserves to make a comeback, and the fan desire for such a project is plain to see. The real question is how likely is it to actually happen. The decision to continue the series lies entirely with Konami, and given the company's track record, this seems unlikely. Even if it did return to the series, there's no telling whether or not it would meet fan expectations or be panned as another Metal Gear Survive.
With Resident Evil Village's imminent release giving horror fans something to look forward to, it is incredibly difficult not to look at the state of the Silent Hill franchise and imagine what a modern game could look like. Despite how unlikely a new, quality entry may seem, stranger things have happened in the gaming industry. Rumors persist that a brand new Silent Hill game may yet make an appearance on the PlayStation 5, and fans can only hope that there is some truth to them.