Following the release of a new trailer for Konami and Bloober Team’s upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake, a Sweet Baby Inc. style consultancy called Hit Detection is being accused of pushing DEI agenda on the game.
A screenshot from Silent Hill 2 remake (2024), Bloober Team
In the trailer released as part of Sony’s State of Play presentation for May 30th, the character design of Angela is being criticized for making her face plumper and “uglier.”
X user Mangalawyer posted, “In my restless dreams, I see that town… Silent Hill 2: Modern Cheeseburger Remake. You promised me you’d take me there again someday, with a side of fries and a milkshake. But that day never came- The Crimson Chin.”
In my restless dreams, I see that town… Silent Hill 2: Modern Cheeseburger Remake.
You promised me you’d take me there again someday, with a side of fries and a milkshake. But that day never came- The Crimson Chin pic.twitter.com/5FsZsxy3Pz
— LearningTheLaw (@Mangalawyer) May 30, 2024
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Not only is the character design being lampooned, but so is the voice acting. X user really_username wrote, “Please tell me I’m not only one who genuinely thinks the voice acting is way worse now in silent hill 2 remake. Especially for Angela… Here’s some comparisons.”
Please tell me I’m not only one who genuinely thinks the voice acting is way worse now in silent hill 2 remake.
Especially for Angela…
Here’s some comparisons pic.twitter.com/KAYM09YKTc
— a really cool username (@really_username) May 30, 2024
As for why the character of Angela was redesigned from the original game, Mangalawyer speculates it’s due to the influence of game consultancy Hit Detection.
He posted on X, “Bloober Team has hired Sweet Baby Inc 2.0 (Hit detection) a sensitive consulting company, for Silent Hill 2 Remake + ESG Konami. Ever wonder why Maria looks so sanitized? Not spoiling the game, but it’s over, bros. Pack your things. When they said modern audience, they mean it.”
Bloober Team has hired Sweet Baby Inc 2.0 (Hit detection) a sensitive consulting company, for Silent Hill 2 Remake + ESG Konami
Ever wonder why Maria looks so sanitized? Not spoiling the game, but it’s over, bros. Pack your things. When they said modern audience, they mean it💀 pic.twitter.com/E1g3wCQ9ph
— LearningTheLaw (@Mangalawyer) May 31, 2024
As shown in the above post, Hit Detection does list Bloober Team as one of its clients on its website. In fact, the company’s home page states, “Hit Detection is a video game consulting firm with a global presence. We bring decades of experience in games media, consumer electronics, and interactive entertainment to deliver the most comprehensive and accurate insights to clients who have trusted us for many years. Among the esteemed clientele that we are able to publicly reveal, we have provided services to the likes of Bloober Team, Remedy, and Sega.”
The company also notes, “Our commitment to building a team from a variety of backgrounds—including underrepresented groups—is a superpower that allows us to provide unique and varied perspectives, setting us apart from other firms. This diversity is a strength that fortifies our insights and gives us a natural advantage within the consulting landscape.”
A screenshot from Silent Hill 2 remake (2024), Bloober Team
Not only is Hit Detection promoting itself using this language, but as noted by Mangalawyer one of the company’s services is “Sensitive Issues Assessment: Our team assesses the risk factors for depictions of character[s] from underrepresented groups, themes, and potential community reactions.”
Interestingly, the company also claims to offer sales forecasting where it “offer[s] data-driven predictions as an external check on our clients’ internal projections.
Former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern aka Grummz offered his own advice for free, “Let’s see how Silent Hill 2 is doing… Oh. I guess Consulting firm Hit Detection…didn’t predict this gamer reaction huh? Konami and Bloober Team, Don’t hire consulting firms like Hit Detection, they have no idea what they are doing and just cost you a lot of sales.”
Let’s see how Silent Hill 2 is doing…
Oh.
I guess Consulting firm Hit Detection…didn’t predict this gamer reaction huh?@Konami and @BlooberTeam Don’t hire consulting firms like Hit Detection, they have no idea what they are doing and just cost you a lot of sales. pic.twitter.com/IImsWHUzaT
— Grummz (@Grummz) May 31, 2024
This latest trailer and the redesign to Angela comes in the wake of Bloober Team’s Chief Marketing Officer Anna Jasińska informing Dread XP that the company would be modernizing the game.
She was asked, “Was the team given free rein to put their own spin on things? Bloober Team is amazing at its ability to transform the environment around the player, and I’m really hoping we get to see that put to use here for the ‘Otherworld’?”
Jasińska responded, “As aforementioned, we take a very safe approach to any changes. We remain faithful to the original title. Nonetheless, we are applying adjustments to certain areas where things need modernizing due to the passage of time.”
A screenshot from Silent Hill 2 remake (2024), Bloober Team
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Jasińska also informed DreadXP, “We are focusing on bringing the distinct, visceral atmosphere back in the modernized SILENT HILL 2. Longtime fans shouldn’t worry about us “missing the point” while we’re livening up the title. We faithfully stick to the traditional story canon while remaking the gameplay and updating the graphics from the ground up. These are the reasons why Konami entrusted us with the remake in the first place.
She added, “A big visible change is the adoption of an over-the-shoulder camera, which altered the perspective of a few iconic set pieces, but also meant an overhaul to the combat system. The latest technological achievements do wonder when it comes to making the visuals pop. As you see, we are not straying away from the original concept of making this cult classic; we just have some ideas on how to make the peculiar scare factors more appealing to the contemporary audience.”
A screenshot from Silent Hill 2 remake (2024), Bloober Team
In a more recent blog post Konami Producer Motoi Okamoto and Bloober Team Creative Director and Lead Designer Mateusz Lenart confirmed the remake was changing some of the settings as well as the dialogue.
They stated, “The setting of some events may change, but their impact on the story will remain the same. Even when new locations are introduced, we’ve sought to refer to the original whenever possible so that returning players will feel right at home when they venture out into the foggy streets of Silent Hill again.”
As for the dialogue the duo added, “The central characters from the original story, James and Maria, are at the heart of our remake as well. Their emotional arcs have been preserved, with great care being given to showcasing their emotions with motion capture technology. This allows us to employ “show, don’t tell” techniques more often, which is why some of the dialogue has been slightly altered to add an extra layer of nuance to the character dynamics.”
A screenshot from Silent Hill 2 remake (2024), Bloober Team
The remake is also changing the combat from the original, “The combat in this remake is designed to allow for a wider variety of approaches – the player’s arsenal of actions has been expanded, while also preserving the feeling of playing as an inexperienced everyman.”
They explained, “James is not a skilled fighter and he doesn’t feel overpowered. His range of attacks is very limited, so he must use more prudent tactics, stay mindful of his surroundings and, if necessary, run instead of fighting. The way he deals with enemies is never a flashy spectacle, but rather a desperate struggle for survival.”
Even the way the enemies fight has been changed, “Giving James more opportunities led to changes in how the enemies he encounters fight as well. He will still have to deal with familiar opponents from the original game, but returning players will notice how their movements and attacks have been fleshed out in order to make them more distinctive and unpredictable in combat scenarios. For instance, going against the frantically aggressive Nurse will pose a completely different challenge than a skirmish with the silent and stealthy Mannequin.”
A screenshot from Silent Hill 2 remake (2024), Bloober Team
Here’s a look at the gameplay trailer for the game:
Silent Hill 2 is expected to arrive on PlayStation 5 and PC on October 8, 2024.
What do you make of this accusation against Silent Hill 2 embracing the DEI agenda?
Crap like this, is why we’ll most likely have another video game market crash, one we haven’t seen since 1983. And it will be caused by Satanic video game “journalists”, and these DEI consultancy firms.
Silent Hill 2 is such a uniquely brilliant game that it’s stupid trying to remake it whether it has all this extraneous current-year garbage or not.
Though it’s not bloober team, look at silent Hill: a short message to get an idea about what exactly this generation finds scary. (Hint, it’s: not getting comments on your art Twitter). You could say they have to follow silent hills 2 beats, but we all know they take way too many liberties.