Akira Yamaoka
Image: Akira Yamaoka

Update: A Konami spokesperson has issued a statement making it clear that the company was not behind the request made to Al Hub to remove the Akira Yamaoka interview. Given that he's not a Konami employee, you could say the statement makes it unlikely that Yamaoka's next project is related to any of that company's IP.

Original Story [Fri 5th Feb, 2021 10:05 GMT]: Akira Yamaoka's had a long history in gaming. Best known as the composer for the Silent Hill series, he's recently been working on Xbox Series X|S/PC game The Medium, but he's not resting anytime soon. Not even a week after its launch, Yamaoka's already teasing his next big project.

Sitting down with Al Hub for an interview, when asked if he's working on any other projects right now, Yamaoka responded: “You’ll probably hear something this summer to be announced". Speaking via a translator, he then added: “And I think it’s the one you’re kinda hoping to hear about.”

Since then, Al Hub has taken down this story and set its YouTube video to private, raising questions of whether Yamaoka's let something slip that he shouldn't have.

As to what game this could be, a new Silent Hill entry would be the obvious candidate. Ever since Silent Hills' cancellation back in 2015, there's been a strong demand for a new game. Yamaoka's interest in returning is known and considering he worked on Dead By Daylight's Silent Hill update last year, fans are understandably excited.

Yamaoka has also worked on titles such as Contra: Hard Corps, Gradius III, Rumble Roses and Snatcher. It's worth noting though that he left Konami back in 2009 and has mostly worked with Grasshopper Manufacture since. When his recent projects also include Ninjala and World of Tanks, we don't want to start jumping to conclusions. Either way, it sounds like we've got something to look forward to this summer.

[source twitter.com]