When Keiichiro Toyama announced he was departing Sony Interactive Entertainment after being with the company for more than 20 years, the gaming world was shocked.
This was the man who had created hits such as Gravity Rush (which deserved more praise than it received), and many believed he was content. However, a video released by Bokeh Game Studio, the new studio that Keiichiro started, explains why he left SIE.
In this video, Keiichiro explains that he wanted to get back into making darker games, which makes sense given his background. While at Sony, he created the survival horror stealth game series called Siren (or Forbidden Siren) for the PlayStation 2. If you haven’t played it, this game is creepy. However, before Siren, Keiichiro Toyama also worked on a couple of fan favorites, Snatcher and Silent Hill, when Konami employed him.
Both of which are incredibly dark but featured some of the best gameplay for their times. And while he doesn’t come out and say it directly, it is hinted that he desired to make games the way he wanted them to be, which can be taken that while at SIE, that wasn’t possible anymore.
As for what Keiichiro Toyama is currently working on at Bokeh Game Studio, the rumor the studio is at work on an action/adventure, possibly a horror, a title that will be multiplatform. If I was a fan of Keiichiro Toyama’s previous titles, I’d be sure to follow this next project. If dark games are what he wants to make, he has quite the pedigree and could very well be working on a Silent Hill successor. We all know the gaming world wants one, isn’t that right P.T?
