Akira Yamaoka says Silent Hill “has no significant change” since he joined 30 years ago

Akira Yamaoka told GamesRadar+ that he believes the Silent Hill franchise "has no significant change" since he first got involved 30 years ago, arguing Konami’s "philosophical approach has been the same." Yamaoka said the original team aimed to "create a new experience — a new, totally different approach [to horror]," and that those early "strong, original creative ideas" have continued to guide the series.

GamesRadar+ notes the series has seen real shifts over the decades — Team Silent dissolved by 2007, Konami produced a pachislot spinoff, and long-standing fan frustration preceded 2025’s Silent Hill f, which the outlet says revived the franchise by relocating it to Japanese mountainsides.

On the Return to Silent Hill movie, which GamesRadar+ describes as widely disliked, Yamaoka said he was "honored" to be the first person director Christophe Gans allowed to watch multiple edits and that on his initial watch he thought, "This really reflects what I have envisioned for Silent Hill 2." Yamaoka also spoke about the series’ characters, saying he has "a very special feeling about [every protagonist], but if I had to pick [a favorite], probably Harry from the first Silent Hill," recalling, "We worked together to create the character" and that the father-daughter storyline left strong memories.

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