Silent Hill 2 & 3 Art Director Masahiro Ito Hopes His Next Game Won't Get Canceled

Fans of the Silent Hill series have gone a whole console generation without a new title to dig into, but at least now it seems one of the series' early figureheads is moving onto something new. Masahiro Ito, creature designer for the original Silent Hill and later art director for Silent Hill 2 and 3, has announced that he's working on a new, unidentified title as a core team member.

Ito made his announcement on Twitter over the weekend, adding that he hopes the mysterious title won't be canceled and can't share any details about it yet. Best known for his work on games developed and published by Konami, Ito's Twitter profile now lists his occupation as "freelance artist." In response to a fan asking if Ito is working with Konami, Ito responded by referring to his profile—whether Ito's working on this upcoming project in a freelance fashion or not, he isn't ready to say what studio he's working with.

A few responses to Ito's hope that the title won't be canceled namechecked Silent Hills, Hideo Kojima's infamously canned project. Though Ito was never confirmed to be involved with Silent Hills, in 2012 (two years before the release of P.T.), Ito said he would work with Kojima on a Silent Hill game "if he were to demand it."

After his work on the Silent Hill series, Ito worked on Night Cry, Hifumi Kono's spiritual successor to the Clock Tower franchise, and on Konami's first post-Kojima Metal Gear release, 2018's Metal Gear Survive.

While some fans hope this curt announcement is teasing a return to Silent Hill, only time will tell whether or not this project has any relation to or even bears a resemblance to Ito's past work. As for the worlds of Silent Hill and Metal Gear, Konami Europe president Masami Saso recently said the company has plans for new console games featuring "globally known IP," but had nothing to say about a comeback for either franchise.