Game News

The Silent Hill series could be making a major comeback, if a recent report by VideoGames Chronicle (VGC) is to be believed. According to the outlet, a "prominent Japanese developer" is currently handling an upcoming reboot of the series, expected to be revealed this summer, and Konami, the series' publisher, has approached non-Japanese studios about making a new Silent Hill game.

According to VGC's sources, Konami has outsourced one future Silent Hill game to a fellow Japanese company. While there's no specific details about the upcoming project, according to the people VGC spoke to, its currently planned to be a departure for the long-running survival horror series. How and in what ways is unknown as of right now.

Back in March 2020, reports began to surface that Konami was working with SIE Japan Studio on a Silent Hill reboot, bringing on board series director and writer Keiichiro Toyama, art director Masahiro Ito, and composer Akira Yamaoka. Later that month Konami called the reports "untrue." Toyama is currently developing a new survival horror game for his new independent studio Bokeh Game Studio, expected to be released in 2023. Earlier this week, concept art was shown off for the first time.

That's not the only possible Silent Hill reboot on the horizon. According to two sources VGC spoke to, Konami approached developer Supermassive Games, developer of Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, to pitch its own take on the series. However, no deal was signed between the two parties. The current rumor mill isn't done speculating that a non-Japanese studio could be working on a new Silent Hill, though.

On Thursday, Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno told GamesIndustry.biz that the studio is currently developing a new horror IP "with a very famous gaming publisher." Bloober Team's recent work includes Layers of Fear, The Blair Witch, and most recently, the Xbox Series X/S exclusive The Medium.

"I can't tell you who," Babieno said. "I can't tell you what the project is, but I'm pretty sure when people realize we're working on it, they will be very excited."

While there's no real indication that this means Bloober is working on a Silent Hill reboot, VGC, citing a video by YouTuber TheGrateDebate, points out that Yamoka (who left Konami in 2009) has stated in the past he's working on a second game with Bloober Team. Yamaoka was composer on The Medium. In a now-deleted YouTube interview, Yamaoka also teased a new project coming this summer, saying it was "the one you’re hoping to hear about."

Despite its place in video game history, the Silent Hill series has been largely absent for the last 10 years. Silent Hill: Downpour, the last mainline game in the series, was released in 2012, while Silent Hills, which was to be directed by Hideo Kojima, had a very public and infamous cancellation in 2015. While there haven't been any big Silent Hill games recently, series characters have been added to Dead By Daylight.

We've reached out to Konami PR about these recent reports and will update our story should we hear back.

Published in News

Wednesday, 17 February 2021 19:29

Future Valheim Updates Will Bring More Building And Ship Customization, Possibly Mini-Bosses

Written by Marcus Stewart

Viking survival game Valheim has been a huge hit on Steam since it launched in early access on February 2. Players have already spent plenty of time exploring, building, and fighting alone or with friends, but have wondered what else will be making its way into the game as the year progresses. A vague roadmap on Steam has been the only frame of reference for future content, but in an interview with PC Gamer, Valheim developer Iron Gate broke down exactly what they have in store for the game going forward.

The first update, Hearth and Home, will primarily focus on house-building by adding new building pieces. Iron Gate tells PC Gamer “It will probably be pretty focused on the food preparation aspect of the game with more recipes and stuff like that."

Iron Gate didn’t divulge much on the second update, Cult of the Wolf, other than it’ll have more exploration and combat. On the other hand, Update 3: Ships and Sea will add more ship customization and a more fleshed out ocean biome.

Update 4: Mistlands will be the biggest update since it adds a brand new biome with a host of new additions, such as new enemies, a new boss, resources, and more. Iron Gate also states that the finished game will have nine biomes with a boss in each, and the addition of mini-bosses being discussed as well. None of the updates have launch dates yet, as Iron Gate is currently focused on fixing bugs in the current version of Valheim. PC Gamer's interview is worth a read for more details as well as how upcoming updates will affect Valheim's procedural generation.

More bosses sounds great, but if you need help tackling Valheim’s existing bosses, check out this handy guide for slaying the Bonemass. If you’re diving into Valheim for the first time or you’re an experienced player looking for tips and tricks, PC editor Dan Tack has written several guides designed to get you started on the best foot, such as a general starter guide, how to spend resources, cooking tips, and opening sunken crypts. You can also just watch Dan put his knowledge in action in this episode of New Gameplay Today.

[Source: PC Gamer]

Published in News

Wednesday, 17 February 2021 19:36

Final Fantasy XIV Online For Xbox Might Be In The Distant Future

Written by Jason Guisao

Final Fantasy XIV Online veterans can surely remember the early days of the game’s disastrous launch and it’s eventual remake — A Realm Reborn — which catapulted the MMORPG into the spotlight and established it as one of the most popular online experiences of all time. With A PlayStation 5 demo slated for the summer and another large-scale content drop in the form of Endwalker, Final Fantasy XIV Online will likely continue to find success. In two different interviews with The Washington Post and VG247, producer Naoki Yoshida commented on the likelihood that players would get to explore Eorzea with their friends on Xbox consoles.

Yoshida seemed to be less confident in an Xbox version of Final Fantasy XIV Online when talking to The Washington Post. The amount of work that goes into different aspects of the game takes considerable time due to the team’s meticulousness: “We have to think about long-term planning with additional platforms, we need additional testing for that particular platform. So it kind of exponentially grows the amount of resources that needs to be allocated.”

However, Yoshida did offer the inkling of some exciting news with VG247, There are no obstacles for developing the Xbox version,” Yoshida said. “We were able to undertake development and provide our service thanks to the immense efforts that Phil [Spencer] has invested. For that we are truly grateful!” Yoshida would go on to voice the team’s commitment to the platforms that the game is available on, but a potential Xbox release could happen when things settle down:

“Now when it comes to the Xbox version, there’s unfortunately not much I can say presently but just that we cannot work on all the steps simultaneously and need to follow the order for proceeding with these things. Since we’re currently involved in the development of Endwalker and preparing the PS5 version to follow on from the title’s service on PS4, it’d be appreciated if we can return to touch upon the Xbox version once things have settled!”

Last week, I finally gave into temptation and purchased Final Fantasy XIV Online; I just can’t put the game down. And despite having most of my free trial days left, I’ve been considering the monthly subscription for a more fleshed-out experience. Personally, I’d be excited to see the game on Xbox consoles so that more people get the chance to try it out.

[Source: The Washington Post and VG247 via Windows Central]

Published in News

Wednesday, 17 February 2021 18:49

Persona 5 Story Summary to Prepare for Strikers | Game Rant

Written by Michael Beckwith

With Persona 5 Strikers acting as a direct sequel to the 2017 JRPG, let's recap exactly what happened in Persona 5 and rediscover the Phantom Thieves.

Published in News