{"rewrite":{"id":"r_5f343ea4aaf52f3aedd9f07f","clusterId":"c_f0f93984cbc6c090dbf28285","slug":"silent-hill-producer-explains-ryukishi07-choice-global-dev-at-cedec-2026","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Silent Hill Producer Explains Ryukishi07 Choice, Global Dev at CEDEC 2026","summary":"At CEDEC 2026, Konami general producer Motoi Okamoto detailed the revival strategy for the Silent Hill series, including the decision to entrust the scenario for Silent Hill f to writer Ryukishi07. Okamoto revealed he is a personal fan who has read over 90% of Ryukishi07's works, and argued that producers should read at least half of a writer's bibliography before commissioning them, both out of respect and to understand their strengths. The lecture also covered the global development pipeline: roughly 80% of the current Silent Hill team cannot speak English, so communication with overseas partners in Poland, Taiwan, and the U.S. relies on machine-translated text via chat and email. Okamoto stated that language ability matters less than the ability to make a good game. The team is almost entirely new, with about half of the members in their 20s and no staff from the original series. Assistant producer Taiki Matsuo noted that while development stages are globally standardized, cultural differences emerged around accessibility features and the timing of release quality assurance. The team implemented a Dyslexic font option, a feature Matsuo said is often dropped in Japan due to cost but treated as a quality requirement overseas.","whyItMatters":"The lecture provides the most detailed public look yet at how Konami rebuilt the Silent Hill franchise from scratch with a new, non-English-speaking team and a global development model, while also confirming that the Ryukishi07 collaboration was driven by the producer's personal fandom rather than a purely commercial calculation.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eOkamoto\u0026#39;s CEDEC 2026 lecture, titled \u0026#39;SILENT HILL Production Techniques: How to Aim for a Game That Gets Pushed in the Era of Oshi?\u0026#39;, was co-presented by assistant producer Taiki Matsuo and planner Ayane Sugimoto. Okamoto said the series revival began with a \u0026#39;bible\u0026#39; defining psychological horror as stories where trauma, self-collapse, and existential feelings are externalized, distinguishing Silent Hill from physical horror titles. The decision to announce Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill f, and Silent Hill: Townfall simultaneously was intended to signal genuine commitment rather than a \u0026#39;test-the-waters remake.\u0026#39; For Silent Hill f, set in 1960s Japan, the team conducted location scouting and audio recording in Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, and coordinated with the local tourism association. Sugimoto described the challenge of directing an overseas studio to recreate a specific Japanese era, requiring detailed reference materials and checks on layout and materials. On the fandom side, Okamoto noted that the masked fox character \u0026#39;Mero Kitsune\u0026#39; attracted a new, predominantly female audience that produces doujinshi, and the team deliberately provides \u0026#39;fuel\u0026#39; through character birthday illustrations and merchandise to sustain fan engagement. The lecture also covered three layers of review testing: external consultants, domestic testing firms, and general users in North America.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Okamoto: 'If you commission a writer, you should read at least half their works.' He read over 90% of Ryukishi07's bibliography before hiring him for Silent Hill f.","twitterPost":"80% of the Silent Hill team can't speak English. They use machine translation for chat with dev partners in Poland, Taiwan, and the US. Language isn't the barrier, Okamoto says.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"At CEDEC 2026, Silent Hill producer Motoi Okamoto revealed the franchise's revival strategy, including a team with no original staff, a global development pipeline using machine translation, and the personal fandom that led to hiring Ryukishi07 for Silent Hill f.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GAME Watch (Impress)\",\"url\":\"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/kikaku/2127066.html\",\"title\":\"「サイレントヒル」岡本氏が語る「SH2」「SHf」開発話！ 竜騎士07氏と考察の相性の良さや「メロ狐」が紹介【CEDEC2026】\"},{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/kikakuthetower/2607224b\",\"title\":\"Why Was the Story of 'Silent Hill f' Entrusted to Ryukishi07? Not Only for His Achievements with 'Higurashi no Naku Koro ni', But Also Because Series Producer Motoi Okamoto Himself Is a Big Fan Who Has Read Over 90% of His Works [CEDEC2026]\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":9656,"outputTokens":1239,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1784733708,"createdAt":"2026-07-22T15:17:35.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-22T15:20:45.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-22T15:17:35.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_f0f93984cbc6c090dbf28285","canonicalTitle":"「サイレントヒル」岡本氏が語る「SH2」「SHf」開発話！ 竜騎士07氏と考察の相性の良さや「メロ狐」が紹介【CEDEC2026】","representativeArticleId":"a_bdafa8628ba020252008ef39","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Silent Hill 2\",\"Silent Hill f\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"岡本\",\"竜騎士07\"],\"type\":\"event\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-22T11:55:56.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-22T14:18:39.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-22T15:20:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GAME Watch (Impress)","url":"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/kikaku/2127066.html","title":"「サイレントヒル」岡本氏が語る「SH2」「SHf」開発話！ 竜騎士07氏と考察の相性の良さや「メロ狐」が紹介【CEDEC2026】"},{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/kikakuthetower/2607224b","title":"『サイレントヒルf』の物語はなぜ竜騎士07氏に託されたのか？『ひぐらしのなく頃に』の実績はもちろん、シリーズプロデューサー岡本基氏自身が作品の9割以上を読む大ファンだった【CEDEC2026】"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Silent Hill 2","Silent Hill f"],"studios":[],"people":["岡本","竜騎士07"],"type":"event","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Okamoto revealed he has read over 90% of Ryukishi07's works and commissioned him for Silent Hill f's scenario partly because of his own fandom.","The Silent Hill revival team has almost no staff from the original series; about half of the members are in their 20s.","Silent Hill f is set in 1960s Japan, and the team conducted location scouting in Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, with cooperation from the local tourism association.","The team implemented a Dyslexic font option for Silent Hill 2, a feature assistant producer Taiki Matsuo said is often cut in Japan due to cost but treated as a quality requirement overseas."]}