‘Silent Hills’ An Xbox One Exclusive? Questionable Rumor Points To Microsoft Purchase
Konami canceled Silent Hills, but will Norman Reedus’ character get a second chance at life as an Xbox One exclusive? A new rumor cropped up Friday claiming that Microsoft is currently in talks to pick up the horror game starring Norman Reedus just in time for E3 2015.
A “well-placed” anonymous source “in the industry” told YouTube channel Rooster Teeth that Microsoft is currently talking with Konami about picking up Silent Hills and making it an Xbox One exclusive. However, there are several aspects of the claim that make the rumor highly questionable at best.
The most glaring claim is that Microsoft is reportedly offering billions of dollars to purchase the Silent Hills intellectual property. Yes, there has been stronger interest in the franchise thanks to the P.T. demo and surrounding hype, but billions of dollars strains credulity for a horror franchise.
By comparison, Microsoft spent $2.5 billion on Minecraft and its developer Mojang. This is a franchise that has already sold more than 65 million units across PC, consoles, and mobile devices to be the third best-selling game of all time. While a strong name in the survival horror genre, Silent Hill has not even sniffed those kinds of sales numbers.
The only way this part of the rumor is plausible is if the source is talking about billions of Japanese Yen and not U.S. dollars. That would put the sale amount of Silent Hills to Microsoft in the more believable realms of millions of dollars. Yes, Xbox boss Phil Spencer is on the hunt to secure more exclusives for the console, but neither he nor his bosses at Microsoft are likely to throw billions of dollars at a franchise in a niche genre.
Another part of the rumor claims that Silent Hills is 80 percent complete and can be ready to release in March, 2016. Additionally, Microsoft will announce the game at E3 2015.
Development of the game was still on-going when it was cancelled though there was never a confirmation of just how far it had gotten. As of December, 2014, Norman Reedus still hadn’t performed any of the motion capture work per IGN. Since the game has been cancelled, it seems unlikely that Microsoft would be able to pick the game up, re-organize development teams, and complete development in approximately nine months.
Microsoft naturally gave its common denial to IGN when it comes to any rumor.
“Microsoft does not comment on rumor or speculation.”
Konami has yet to respond to this rumor directly, but did provide a comment to IGN in general regarding its previous stance that it is developing for mobile first in the future. In it, the company reiterated its commitment to the Silent Hill franchise.
“The Metal Gear and Silent Hill series, both beloved by countless fans around the globe, are also extremely important to Konami. We have nurtured them with care over many years since their inception, and will continue to produce products for both franchises, but we are not currently at a stage where we can announce the path these future titles will take.”
Actions speak louder than words though and Konami’s shift to mobile gaming plus the cancellation of Silent Hills brings in to question its commitment to the horror property. Perhaps there could be a deal similar to the one struck between Microsoft and Square Enix for Rise of the Tomb Raider. However, this is one rumor that will have to be seen to be believed.
[Images via Konami]
