Konami
The delirium of Silent Hill 2 "purists": from vandalizing Wikipedia to harassing game artists
The reviews that the 2024 Silent Hill 2 Remake has received have been so bad for certain “purist” sectors that they have gone so far as to harass key figures of the franchise.
Silent Hill 2 Remake is back in the news again, and this time it has to do with its excellent critical reception. Many self-proclaimed Silent Hill fans, both of the saga and of the original Silent Hill 2, have starred in several embarrassing episodes of harassment and digital vandalism of both key figures such as Masahiro Ito (monster designer and creator of Pyramid Head) and the 2024 game’s Wikipedia page in the days following the remake’s release.
Self-styled Silent Hill “fans” lash out at Silent Hill 2 Remake, harass staff and vandalize Wikipedia page
Since October 4th, reviews of the Silent Hill 2 Remake have been appearing all over the world after Konami’s embargo ended. Many, torches in hand, wanted the game to be bad just to confirm their beliefs, although it is true that during the presentation of promotional material such as trailers, what was shown a priori was not convincing. But the appointed day came and it turned out that this SH2 remake was not only good, but it also received high marks, as its 87 on PS5 and 86 on PC on Metacritic attest. The consensus is that it is a good reinterpretation of the 2001 classic, but with some technical problems that keep it from absolute excellence.
Some self-proclaimed “fans” of the franchise, unhappy with the reviews received for this release, took it as a personal attack and decided to take matters into their own hands. On the one hand, they have vandalized the game’s page on Wikipedia, repeatedly editing the section of the reviews received by the specialized press to essentially change them for negative reviews. This led the administrators of the free encyclopedia to temporarily block the possibility of editing the page until the vandalism stopped.
On the other hand, some key personalities of the saga, such as Masahiro Ito, historical artist and Team Silent employee and art director of the original Silent Hill 2, have denounced that he has been harassed on the social media network X. Some of these Internet users have decided to take it out on Ito, considering the designer of the Silent Hill 2 creatures that are reused in the remake as a “traitor”.
Ito commented in a recent post that his account is “NOT the account to take it out on” and warned that he plans to immediately ban any user who comments on the game in a bad way.
The reality is that Silent Hill 2 Remake and Bloober Team have the approval of not only Konami, but also other key members of the original game, such as Masashi Tsuboyama, the director of the 2001 title.
Tsuboyama believes that the value of the remake is that a new generation will be able to enjoy this story. As the creator, he is very happy that this new installment can be enjoyed by a new audience.
However, despite the controversy and dissatisfaction expressed by some “purists” of the series, it is important to recognize that the critical success of Silent Hill 2 Remake represents a valuable opportunity to revitalize the franchise and attract new players. Negativity and harassment towards the developers and artists only serves to overshadow a collective celebration of Silent Hill’s legacy. Instead of fostering the creation of a hostile environment, fans should come together to support the development of their favorite franchise, allowing it to continue to grow and adapt to the expectations of new generations while not forgetting the impact it has had on their history. After all, despite the existence of this remake, the original will not disappear.