As we inch closer to the release of the Silent Hill 2 Remake, fans are increasingly hyped, and the discourse for the game has taken off. A collaboration between Bloober Team and Konami’s Silent Hill team, the game is set to drop on October 8, 2024, and it’s safe to say that the hype is real—especially in the West.
What about the game’s reception in Japan, its country of origin? There seems to be a noticeable gap in popularity between Japanese and Western audiences, and it’s been that way for a long time.
The Difference in Silent Hill 2’s National vs. Global Popularity
The disparity became obvious when a recent tweet highlighted the sheer difference in views between the Japanese and international trailers for the Silent Hill 2 Remake.
In just 22 hours, the Japanese trailer racked up a modest 3.1 million views. Not bad, right? Well, not until you compare it to the 60 million views the English trailer managed to get in the same time frame.
Masahiro Ito, the talented art director behind the Silent Hill series, replied to the tweet with a somewhat sad reflection.
He pointed out that the game has always been more popular overseas than in Japan, a trend that started with the original game and has stayed true ever since. A lot of Japan doesn’t seem to hold any love for James Sunderland and his story.
Fans Play the Blame Game and Share Theories
As is often the case with anything Silent Hill-related, the internet had a lot to say. People poured into the artist’s replies to share whatever thoughts they might’ve had after seeing the screenshot. Some were nice, while others seemed to have a vendetta.
One user blamed the situation on Konami, claiming that the company’s history of doing “shady” things ruined its reputation, and now people don’t trust it. However, another user pointed out that that wasn’t the point of Ito’s post.
On a more wholesome note, another theory floated around suggested that the original Silent Hill team simply nailed the Western horror aesthetic so well that it didn’t resonate as strongly with Japanese audiences.
It’s an interesting take and makes you wonder about the differences between the West and Japan’s approach to horror, and what makes people prefer one over the other.
The funniest exchange came with someone bizarrely blaming Square Enix for the difference in popularity. Ito himself chimed in, asking why anyone would think that, which led to someone else’s explanation about people’s distrust in Konami.
This prompted another user to ask what that had to do with Square Enix. A complete trainwreck of a conversation, but one that sums up X/Twitter discourse.
With no clear conclusion, we’d like to ask you: what’s the real reason behind the disparity in popularity? Let us know in the comments below!
