Few games in recent memory have captured the brilliance of the horror genre, like Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2. Not only did this impossible remake masterfully revive a timeless tale of broken people facing their demons, but it has also brought Silent Hill back into mainstream discussion on games.
Yet, for all that the game accomplished, the remake has struggled to match the sales of, well, two other juggernaut remakes in the genre, particularly within Europe. Resident Evil 4 Remake and Dead Space Remake—both masterpieces of their own—have outpaced Konami’s return to Silent Hill. But why is that?
Silent Hill 2 Remake Is Lagging Behind 2023’s Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space
Now, while Silent Hill 2 did enjoy a relatively strong critical and commercial debut, selling over a million copies within days of release, in Europe, its sales figures pale in comparison to two others within the genre.
As Christopher Dring shared on Bluesky, the game’s launch sales are currently 57% lower than those of Resident Evil 4 Remake and 31% below those of Dead Space Remake.
Now, is it shocking that Silent Hill 2 is behind these other two masterpieces? Not really, when you think about it. For starters, the other two titles are available on platforms other than PS5 and PC, which most certainly bumps those numbers up.
Secondly, 78% of Silent Hill 2’s launch players in Europe picked the game on PlayStation 5, with severely low sales on PC, as revealed on GI Microcast. This, combined with what we mentioned first, might have played a significant role in the game lagging behind.
Let’s also not forget that, historically, Silent Hill has always been an experience people would rather watch countless essays on than actually play, and it has always been slightly less popular than something like Resident Evil.
That said, the game’s sales figures are still pretty solid, and it marks a rather triumphant return for both Konami and Silent Hill as a franchise. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters now, doesn’t it?
Silent Hill 2 Remake Still Deserves Even More Sales and Commercial Success
We know what we said just above, but hear us out. Before this game was out, people considered Silent Hill 2—the 2001 game—a title that simply cannot be remade in any shape or form.
Part of that has to do with the fact that there are just so many tiny details and quirks in the original that recreating them feels incredibly difficult without receiving some form of backlash.
Bloober Team, too, was in this position until the game’s release, with people harshly criticizing whatever was shown in the trailers. That’s precisely why the final product deserves so much praise.
It’s a magical, haunting experience that shines a massive light on every good thing about the original while trying to brush aside some of the things holding the 2001 masterpiece back.
Were they utterly successful with the latter? Maybe not, but the studio’s effort and the ensuing result are more praiseworthy than what the existing sales reflect.
Despite the lukewarm sales in Europe and a surprising snub at The Game Awards, Silent Hill 2 still has reignited people’s love for the series, and if this game is to be taken as a sign of what’s to come, we, for one, just cannot wait to see what the future holds.
But with all that said, what are your thoughts on all this? Should Konami double down on its efforts to push Silent Hill further into mainstream recognition, or is the franchise best left as a cult classic gem? Let us know in the comments below!
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
