Team Silent

Team Silent was a development group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET), responsible for the first four games in the Silent Hill franchise by Konami released from 1999 to 2004, with later titles developed by external Western companies such as Climax Studios, Double Helix Games and Vatra Games.[2][3] According to composer Akira Yamaoka, Team Silent consisted of staff members that had failed at other projects and originally intended to leave the company before the first Silent Hill game turned out to be a success.[4] According to a Silent Hill Homecoming artist, Team Silent was ultimately disbanded by Konami itself, because Konami wanted Western developers to make the games.[5] KCET was merged into the parent company Konami in April 2005.[6]

Team Silent
Division
IndustryVideo games
Founded1996[1]
DefunctApril 2005
Headquarters
Tokyo
,
Japan
Key people
  • Hiroyuki Owaku
  • (Writer)
  • Akira Yamaoka
  • (Sound Director)
  • Masahiro Ito
  • (Art Director)
ProductsSilent Hill series
ParentKonami

Key members of Team Silent include:

  • Keiichiro Toyama: Director of Silent Hill. Left to join SCE Japan Studio in 1999 and create the Siren series of games.[7]
  • Masashi Tsuboyama: Background designer Silent Hill, director of Silent Hill 2, art director of Silent Hill 4. Left Konami to join Good-Feel
  • Kazuhide Nakazawa: Director of Silent Hill 3.[8] He later joined Kojima Productions.
  • Suguru Murakoshi: Drama director of Silent Hill 2, director and scenario writer of Silent Hill 4. He later joined Kojima Productions.
  • Hiroyuki Owaku: Scenario writer of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3, co-writer for Silent Hill[9]
  • Masahiro Ito: Background and creature designer of Silent Hill, art director and creature designer of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3'[10]
  • Akira Yamaoka: Series sound director; producer of Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill 4. Left Konami to join Grasshopper Manufacture[11]
  • Gozo Kitao: Executive producer of Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3
  • Akihiro Imamura: Producer of Silent Hill 2,[12] sub-producer of Silent Hill 4
  • Takayoshi Sato: CGI Creator of Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2.[13] Left to join Virtual Heroes, Inc., and later joined Nintendo in 2012 as a Visual Producer.

Akira Yamaoka played a major role in the Silent Hill film adaptation by overseeing and approving specific aspects of the movie throughout its production. Team Silent members are now working on separate projects. Some of the original members (as led by Toyama, director of the first Silent Hill game) went on to create the Siren series, which has a similar atmosphere to the Silent Hill franchise.

In March 2020, rumors started to flourish online that members of Team Silent were being reunited at Sony's SIE with Konami's approval and that development on a "soft reboot" of Silent Hill had begun in early 2019 for the PlayStation 5.[14]

References
  1. Sato, Takayoshi. "My Resume". SatoWorks. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  2. "E3 2001: Silent Hill 2 Interview". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. May 17, 2001. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  3. "IGN Top 100 Games 2007: 97 Silent Hill 2". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  4. "Silent Hill: Så skapade Konami skräckhistoria". Level (in Swedish). Reset Media AB (23). March 2008.
  5. Tom Goldman (January 18, 2011). "Silent Hill Artist Claims Konami Disbanded Team Silent | The Escapist". Escapistmagazine.com. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  6. "Notification of Business Conducted at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders" (PDF). Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. February 22, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  7. "Silent Hill creator discusses how he joined the game biz and why AAA horror is 'difficult' to fund". Polygon.com. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  8. "E3 2002: Interview with Hiroyuki Owaku, Akira Yamaoka and Kazuhide Nakazawa (IGN)". Silent Hill Memories. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  9. Ito, Masahiro (June 14, 2010). "Nobu bbs: scenario writers". GMO Media, Inc. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  10. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/03/16/silent-hill-monster-designer-reveals-concept-art-for-cancelled-silent-hill-game
  11. https://www.engadget.com/2010/04/02/interview-akira-yamaoka-explains-grasshopper-jump/
  12. "Q&A: Konami's Akihiro Imamura". GameSpot. May 17, 2006. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  13. "Silence Is Golden: Takayoshi Sato's Occidental Journey". Gamasutra. August 25, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  14. Lawardorn, Damien (March 13, 2020). "Rumor: Sony Developing Silent Hill Reboot with Original Team Silent Staff". The Escapist. Retrieved May 28, 2020.

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