Summary
Later this fall,Silent Hill 2 will be making its way to consoles and PC via a remake developed by Bloober Team in conjunction with Konami. The fall will also see the release ofSlitterhead, a new horror video game from the original creator behind Silent Hill, Keiichiro Toyama. It’ll mark a return to the world of horror for Toyama, who established his own studio named Bokeh Game Studio Inc. following his departure from Sony.
That said, Toyama is in his 50s, and he’s been helping produce, write and direct games since the 1990s. At some point, age catches up and there will be a time when Toyama no longer is helming video games. If that time comes sooner rather than later, then Toyama won’t be “unsatisfied” ifSlitterhead, which is slated for a November 8 release, is his final game.
Toyama Wants To Pave The Way For The Next Generation Of Video Game Developers
As much as Toyama is focused on ensuring that Slitterhead is a successful video game, and that his new studio is in position to release further titles, he’s also intimately concerned about the future of game development. In particular, Toyama wants to leave the industry in good hands with the next generation of game devs. That’s not to say he’ll stop making games, but it appears that his priorities have shifted in a positive direction.
In an exclusive interview with Games Radar, Toyama affirmed that he wouldn’t be “unsatisfied” if Slitterhead was it for him. He said, “I’m going into my mid-50s, I don’t feel like I’d be unsatisfied even if this was the last game I made.” He then expanded upon his thought process regarding the future, saying:
I opened up this studio, and we actually have a lot of new staff coming in, younger staff. I’m more concerned about what I can leave behind for them. Obviously, I’m not saying this is my last game. But I think my last mission is to leave a path for these younger creators to work on what they want to."
In other words, Bokeh’s next game might not be of his creation, but he’ll be more than willing to support the next Toyoma in whatever passion they have. To that end, Toyoma has a lot of wisdom to provide up-and-coming game developers, having worked for an array of companies before branching off to start his own. More so, while he’s most famous for Silent Hill, he also had a hand with Gravity Rush, which is as far from a horror game as it gets. In other words, he can help creators find their vision and has experience with different gaming mediums.
If that’s the case, then there’s no doubt that the future of game development is in good hands. And it’s thanks to the selflessness of creators like Toyoma.
