For those currently revelling in the revival of the Silent Hill franchise, the name Keiichiro Toyama should sound familiar. As the original creator of Silent Hill before departing from Konami, Toyama has long been regarded as a visionary in the horror game genre. He later went on to lead development on the Siren series during his time with Sony, and eventually founded his own studio, Bokeh Game Studio.
The studio’s debut title, Slitterhead, was a unique blend of action and horror, but unfortunately, it fell short of commercial expectations. Despite that, Toyama has confirmed that he and his team are working on a brand-new game.
In a recent interview with Famitsu, Toyama openly discussed the performance of Slitterhead. He admitted that the game sold below their initial expectations, attributing part of its commercial underperformance to confusion among players about the game’s identity. Was Slitterhead a horror game or an action game? This ambiguity, Toyama believes, contributed to its lack of traction in the market.
What’s Next for Bokeh Game Studio?
Despite its sales struggles, Slitterhead still served an important role for Bokeh Game Studio. Toyama expressed a sense of satisfaction with how the project allowed various members of the development team to showcase their individual talents. It also gave the studio the freedom to explore creative ideas that might have been impossible in a more traditional AAA development environment.
However, Slitterhead will be taking a backseat for now. Toyama confirmed that their next game will not be connected to the title. He did not reveal any specific details about the new project at this time, except that it is something new for fans to look forward to.
Toyama emphasized that one of his original goals for founding Bokeh was to build a studio that could implement ideas from younger generations of developers and create more laid-back game experiences. That said, he acknowledged that Bokeh still has to prove itself before fully embracing that creative freedom. He also stopped short of confirming whether the new project will involve horror elements or not.
In addition to his work on Silent Hill and Siren, Toyama is also the mind behind Gravity Rush, a beloved PlayStation classic. Given his proven ability to craft compelling titles across a range of genres, anticipation is high for whatever Bokeh Game Studio is preparing next.
