Silent Hill producer Motoi Okamoto said the scriptwriters of Silent Hill f “pressured each other” to read “100 to 200 books a year”, including those from f’s writer Ryukishi07, to ensure they had a thorough understanding of the writer’s “style and quirks”.
As reported by GameWatch (日本語/Japanese), and spotted by Automaton, Okamoto stated at the recent CEDEC2026 conference that “if you’re going to commission a writer, you should read at least the majority of their entire body of work before commissioning them”.
“This is not only a matter of basic respect, but it’s also to understand that every writer has their strengths and weaknesses, and to grasp their style and quirks,” he said.
The talk – entitled “Silent Hill’s production techniques: how to create a game that will be popular in the age of ‘favourite characters” – Okamoto also opened up about how Konami rebooted the series, acknowledging that when the decision to revive Silent Hill was greenlit, about half of Konami’s development team were in their 20s, and the prior development team has been “almost entirely replaced”, including original developers now known to some as “Team Silent”.
“I wanted people to feel that this was a serious attempt to revive the series, rather than a ‘wait-and-see’ remake that gauges the series’ popularity, which is common these days,” Okamoto admitted. “That’s why I absolutely wanted to announce a new game at the same time as the remake.”
With a strong cast of characters, a 1960s Japan setting, and a dense atmosphere, Silent Hill f made an impression on veterans and newcomers alike, and it’s been so successful that Takeshi Masago and Tamami Hiraoka, who played Hinako’s father and mother respectively, have been made tourism ambassadors for Gero City in Japan’s Gifu Prefecture, the city that inspired the game’s rural village.
“If this [review] has left you curious, close this tab, avoid social media and further reviews or streams, and let yourself experience Silent Hill f first hand,” I wrote in Eurogamer’s Silent Hill f review. “You’ll either thank me for it or hate me for it, but either way, you’ll have a hell of a time.”
Silent Hill’s long-awaited resurgence has seen a strong start thanks to Bloober Team‘s Silent Hill 2 remake and developer Neobards’ Silent Hill f. So hopes are high for the survival horror series next outing, Silent Hill Townfall, which is now confirmed to be releasing for PC and PlayStation 5 on 24th September.
