Keiichi Toyama, creator of such horror classics as Silent Hill and Siren has recently confirmed that he and his team at Bokeh Game Studios are working on their next project and promised that it won’t be a sequel to their previously released, bizarre horror title Slitterhead.
In a previous interview with Famitsu, Toyama shared what he could by stating:
“I can’t reveal the exact details, but we have started working on our next title… Once again, we have to pour in all our efforts as a studio and prove that we are up to the task… However, we’re still in the beginning phase, so I believe we’ll be able to reveal more details somewhere in the future.”
After the mixed reviews from both players and critics alike with regard to Slitterhead, Toyama indicated that the team was hoping for far more sales than the game went on to receive after launch. While acknowledging that the game became a “cult favorite,” he also speculated that its reception may have been surrounding confusion about whether or not the game was intended to be an action game or a horror game, due to somewhat-vague marketing.
With that said, commercial success isn’t the primary goal of the studio, as Toyama was quick to share, as the team remains interested in pursuing new challenges in their game development going forward. Toyama isn’t as young as he once was, and many fans of his classic horror games are concerned that he may retire before adding to his legacy in the industry.
“As for how long we’ll be able to continue, it becomes a difficult topic, especially if we take my age into consideration. However, I believe that moving forward, I also have to pass the baton to the next generation. As a studio, we’re still midway to reaching our goal.” Toyama expressed.
This is an all-too familiar sentiment as renowned game director Hideo Kojima recently shared that he, “couldn’t help but think about how much longer I’ll be able to stay ‘creative’… every day feels like I’m racing against the clock.”
Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto also joked about his age by stating: “More so than retiring, I’m thinking about the day I fall over… In this day and age you have to think about things in a five-year timespan, so I do think about who I can pass things on to, in case something does happen.”
With all of that said, fans of Toyama’s games such as me, are very eager to see what the next project from Bokeh Game Studios will be like. Hopefully we get more information at Gamescom, but until then we are left to speculate.
