Abandoned Dev Appears on Camera to Denounce Silent Hill, Hideo Kojima Speculation

If it's not Silent Hill maybe it's the most obtuse way ever to announce the Switch Pro. If we're talking conspiracy theories let's go full tin foil hat.

Definitely an actor

This has been a good lesson on what NOT to do when advertising your indie game. Also, since when does a small indie game need an entire app to reveal trailers and gameplay?

He looks more like an actor than a game developer but you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Is it Friday yet? Just want to see what this app is already.

I don't really care anymore

It's because it's CLEARLY Splinter Cell.... starts with "S" and ends with "L"
Guerrilla marketing by Ubisoft xD

It's so silly all these conspiracy theories about this game. Fun! But silly xD

"So we had to show something and that was not the game at all. So the game will be different."

So false advertising then 😐 Why are they allowed to show something that isn't even the game they are working on? How does a tiny indie studio have such much power? (I really hope the conspiracy is true for their sake).

Pretty sure I can't go to Sony and say "so guys I'm making this sweet ass horror game, I got nothing to show you but trust me is going to be lit af so gives us a couple mill and some bad ass promotion"

Hideo 👏🏾 directed this video!

Hot take! Abandoned is a survival horror game starring Dutch hip hop icons MC Miker G & DJ Sven as they search for a lost mix tape in the woods behind Sven’s parents house.

It is kind of funny how the guy had to do the video with nothing but his face on screen, probably even the color of the walls would have been taken into scrutiny.
That being said, he looks like an actor and the lighting is very... well... silent hillish... lol

This whole thing is really weird

Disappointing, again..

@jmac1686 depends on how well it sells.

Hideo in English means hero.
Kahraman in English means hero.

Still very suspicious to me.

If this guy is genuinely just trying to tell people the truth (which is entirely possible) I imagine he was annoyed to find that this video is the only tweet that kojima productions 'liked', further fanning those flames.

I think it’s an EA game and it’s “SSX - return of the downhill.” Begins in S and ends it L and the last SSX was a horror of a game

For some reason this guy comes off as an actor and not a game developer. It's like he's been told to say this.

If I were the head of a studio forced to put out a video to head off a backlash from frequently unreasonable gamers that could tank potential sales, etc.... Well I'm pretty sure I'd be considerably more emotive than this guy.

@Enigk Half Life 3 confirmed.

ALRIGHTY THEN!

What does a game developer look like? I've met loads and I can't say there's a distinctive look.

I'm going to be really peeved if the rumours turn out to be true, because they've been pretty clear about not being Kojima and not being Silent Hill. If this is all lies, then it damages the industry as a whole.

@Stocksy Lol! and DJ Atomika chases you down like Nemesis in Resident Evil... Just blaring his beats in the process!
The closer he gets, the louder the tune

Why did Blue Box not reveal the actual name of their game in the first place? Why couldn't Blue Box have waited to announce their project when they had actual real footage to show? Why did Blue Box intentionally lean into the vagueness and mystery of their game? What is up with this app that Sony is allowing on their storefront? Who the hell at Blue Box thought it was a good idea to tweet out that crap about "starts with an S, ends with an L" and "snowflakes of blood"?

I'm already seeing a lot of the blame for this mess being put on the redditors and YouTubers who took it this far, but I absolutely think Blue Box and Hasan deserve a big share of responsibility. They very clearly wanted attention and used intentionally provocative ways of getting it. It worked.

The lead up to this game has been so strange. So if he is just a guy no one has heard of until now what did Sony see in this studio to put together a partnership? With all the studios Sony has announced recently a partnership with there has always been something to advertise them with.

Kojima Productions has of course Hideo Kojima. Ember Labs founders have great experience in animation. Jade Raymond's studio has Jade Raymond and this latest studio at Summer Game Fest Kick Off (I already forgot the name 😅) has former Tryarch talent.

So what does Blue Box have? It seems like nobody knows who this guy is which is also very strange in the industry, and all this studio has are a couple low profile mobile games and a failed Kickstart? Sorry but at this point I dont think I can believe him. Now where's my tinfoil hat?

Apparently they have been working with Sony on this game since 2016 and they haven't got a teaser ready? Everything about this is wrong including the ps store write up. Add to that the name translation and Kojima/Konami making up just before the reveal and i'm more convinced than ever that this lad is chatting sh*t!

@Perryg92 not gonna lie. Day one for me haha

Have to say the twitter comments were harsh. They either called the dude a liar or straight up said his game will now be ignored. He didnt come up with this charlie day conspiracy stuff so his work shouldn't be punished. Roll on friday and lets get answers

@theheadofabroom That's the problem with Kojima's history of lying to create surprises. His past wacky reveal tactics were funny and exciting at the time, but they lead to longterm mistrust and rampant speculation that creates situations like this. Although, to his credit, the PT surprise was much less obvious and way more clever than his Phantom Pain one.

Man this bluebox saga is so weird.

@theheadofabroom Not really, I prefer if this is a lie and this game is really silent hill 😃

@RBMango This kind of marketing is way more creative and fun rather compared to outright lie like cyberpunk.

That's soooo much Silent Hill dude. That Deep Fake tech Kojima I mean Godjima is using is above and beyond.

Silent Hill is coming babyyyy

@Korgon This isn't a partnership like the ones you've mentioned. All Sony has done is host the announcement trailer on its YouTube channel and allowed the developer to make a PlayStation Blog post, which is normal for a lot of indie games.

I don't think Sony actively seeked out a PS5 exclusive from Blue Box and is now investing time and money into the game. Plus it's coming to PC eventually and Blue Box is publishing it, not Sony.

@Weebleman Hold up! Kojima actually liked that video?!?l Muhahahahah Godjima is untouchable boiiiiiis.

All hope is not lost. With the huge recognition Silent Hill is getting from the gaming community hopefully Konami is paying attention with dollar signs in their eyes.

...Shh, let me have this dammit!

@LiamCroft according to IGN (i know) they have been working with Sony on this game for five years. Surely that can be classed as a partnership?

@wiiware If this actually bears some Kojima and/or Silent Hill fruit, then sure. But if this is some generic horror game from a hack studio, I don't see the fun in intentionally messing with people. PT at the very least resulted in a fantastic demo available to the public before the truth was uncovered. Blue Box had nothing of consequence to show.

@Loftimus I can't find any mention of that timeframe in recent IGN articles, and I really, really don't believe that to be true.

Can't wait to see this dumpster fire this week. I genuinely feel bad for the dude, he set himself up for failure from the beginning. You can make the argument it was the fans that set themselves up but there are dozens of time he fanned the flames responding to tweets. Like telling someone his team doesn't know if they're working on Silent Hill yet.

Here's hoping it's Kojima though, that'd be hilarious. =]

@LiamCroft i just went and found it in 30 seconds. The information is in the "Abandoned will eventually come to pc" article.

Edit: it is on their timeline now.

@Danloaded huh, the dude gave right & left hints for a silent hill game!

I am glad he has made the video and they can now put this to bed. But then Kojima Productions had to go and like the video on Twitter and this has sparked fresh theories that the guy is an actor.

@Loftimus Yep, I've found the line now. I think that's highly inaccurate. As I said before, Blue Box isn't directly working with Sony.

@LiamCroft
Fair point on the not a big Playstation partnership part. But then there's the strange trailer hub thing that's scheduled to come out this week. No other game, regardless of size has done anything like this. I guess I just can't see this whole thing being just a gigantic coincidence with all the weird stuff surrounding this game. Nonetheless I wish the team well, even if I'm not convinced they are who they say they are!

@Korgon I agree, it is a very bizarre situation.

@LiamCroft is that something that you actually know though?

@LiamCroft https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-21/what-is-blue-box-gamers-believe-it-s-hideo-kojima-s-silent-hill
Hasan says he signed a contract with Sony when interviewed by Jason Schreier yesterday. Its near the bottom. At the very least he's working with them, maybe not a full on partnership.

Told you these guys were gonna eat crow. They rode the hype (that they generated) until the last moment. Now that we're days away they're backing down (probably after reprimands from Sony's tyrannical PR). This is a trainwreck in the making.

@Dubbicakes Signing a contract can literally just mean "here's a devkit" after submitting documents to release a game on PS5 and PS4. I wouldn't read into those quotes to the point where Sony is actively involved in development and is anywhere near the level of partnerships it has recently announced.

@LiamCroft partnership aside, do you think it was irresponsible of Kojima and Konami to fuel this fire by following each other on twitter (i've checked and they are), a few days before the reveal?

@LiamCroft It's just as much a stretch to say he's playing semantics as it is to say he's a partner. Inaccuracy be damned, those are the facts until proven otherwise. Though, I do agree he's not to be believed.

The Sony's "show something, doesn't care what it is" is the worse part of this, if really is nothing more than it seems... What the hell??

I can't believe so many actually believed otherwise when this company existed before Kojima ever left Konami and was busy making the P.T. demo and Metal Gear Solid 5. People have just gone crazy over lockdown

@Dubbicakes If Sony really has been working with them for five years, why would they suddenly rush the studio into making a trailer that's based on purchased Unreal Engine assets and then put that out, when it isn't even the game? You'd think they'd have something to show after five years of work.

The actual announcement was just a trailer and a PlayStation Blog post on a random day — that could have taken place at any point. So if Blue Box has been working with Sony for five years, why was there a sudden rush to reveal a game that doesn't actually look like that? Plus it's just a random indie game?

The "five year" thing really doesn't add up.

@JAMes-BroWWWn yup, the english account for kojima productions.

@LiamCroft thats the problem, none of it adds up because it is not real. So if it's not real, what is it?

@RBMango Yeah, it will be really lame if this isn't silent hill/pt or spiritual successor to it, with all the hints about the studio.

@LiamCroft unless, and hear me out here, there was no rush. It was just a trailer designed to be full of hints that was prepped that way and when people asked they say it was rushed.

It could have been anything to announce that game. We had two chaps turn up on geoff's thing saying theyd formed a studio. Why not have this chap just do a video saying we are making a game that will be exclusive, its a horror, etc... instead of a random trailer that points you in a random direction.

One possibility is that the trailer was just designed to be a kind of 'gotcha!' Moment but, due to the snoball effect it had, they just went with it. The guy making it only popped up when that happened. Before that it was a name on a very limited internet page.

Either way, my moneys on it being a Dino Crisis reboot.

That's very clearly Kojima in a mask, though. 🤣

But seriously... these obsessives tracked down his PSN ID and started messaging him, and now they know his face. If it hasn't already happened, what's the betting that at some point one of these idiots is going to start with various threats?

@LiamCroft Those are valid for sure, but than there's the stuff like why hasn't any third parties stopped Hasan from digging this hole? Why haven't any journalist contacted Sony, Konami, or even Kojima for comment? Why did Sony give Abandoned a blog spot when indie studios with no prior releases have to show proof of their games near completion to even begin to be weighed and considered for mention let alone a full page article. Also, why is Hasan who is a complete nobody to the world verified on PSN?

You're 100% right, none of this makes any sense. There is so much that doesn't add up for Hasan or Abandoned to be anything more than what they are, but there's just as much to make you tilt your head and wonder if they are more.

Well this has took a drastic turn of events.

Turns out, this is NOT Koijima and according to Jeff Grubb, Kojima has actually signed on with Xbox to make the Cloud based game he pitched to Stadia.
Portal creator Kim Swift has joined XGSP and will assist Kojima.
Take with a pinch of salt as it's Jeff Grubb and he's not been reliable of late...

Trust me I would love a new Silent Hill and will buy it day one. But does Silent Hill really deserve so much hype to announce it like this..... again. Drop a surprise trailer at a state of play and it will have the same and most likely better effect.

@AndyKazama Not quite. 秀夫 is Hideo and 英雄 is hero. The latter is pronounced 'eiyuu'. Write Hideo into Google Translate in Japanese, so 秀夫, and it doesn't translate. Write in 'Hideo' in English letters, though, and for some reason Google switches it to 'eiyuu' or 英雄, which does mean hero and does translate to Kahraman.

So if Kahraman is a pseudonym, or is a fake identity played by an actor, whoever decided it would be Kahraman because it's Turkish for Hideo would've written the name into Google Translate in English, and not in Japanese as you'd assume Kojima would've done.

I still think this is a remake/sequel of slender: the arrival

@Matroska I'd to think that Kojima would use the English "Hideo" for the translation to make it work.

Everything seems too good to be true, so I'd like to think it is true. 😜

I have the feeling these devs were taking a page out of Kojimas playbook on how to hype a game and it's now backfired on them drastically.

“The Hudson River, two years ago... We had classified intelligence
that a new type of Metal Gear, I mean Silent Hill, was being transported, I mean created. The whole
thing stank...but our noses had been out in the cold too long.”

Something is still fishy. This company seems to be fake

Unless this is what people think it is, there's going to be major trouble.

Shady viral marketing can be toxic if it fails. This game is probably doomed.

If so honestly F this guy, there was nothing unintentional about these things, when you're already connected to Silent hill you don't then say "it starts with an S and ends with an L", I'll be boycotting this game for sure on the off chance this isn't one big misdirect but I also believe there's a big chance this is still Silent Hill but if it's not this guy has just been bottom feeding off of someone else's fame

They've certainly mastered how to exploit games media. No one would have heard of this otherwise.

So could it be that Hasan is in fact the lead character in the game? Or it is he who is abandoned? Something's going on...

If you type in Hideo into Google translate with Japanese as your language, and set the translation to Turkish, you'll get this dude's last name. If that's just a coincidence, then this entire game is doomed with a terrible curse.

Wow...they're clearly worried about the possible backlash now. Trouble is you're not going to tell fanboys something isn't true when you clearly knowingly teased it being Silent hill so that people would talk about your game.

What I don't get is why this game is getting an app before a game reveal? At this point it looks like it's less a case of it being some amazing arg from kojima and more a very inexperienced team not really knowing what they're doing.
Either way it distracted playstation channels from xbox's E3. So served a purpose.

Funny thing is all this also distracted from what Kojima did actually tease the other week. Death stranding directors cut? Really...when he owns the studio. Who's not having him put out the version he wants to put out?...and a trailer that teases Metal gear solid?

Kojima will be working on an episodic horror game for gamepass anyway.

"if people continue to believe in the rumours that's up to them" comment from the Bloomberg article is a tad rich. Whilst the sentiment is true. Blue Box has added fuel to this speculation and conspiracy fire and is seemingly happy to let it burn. He is seemingly deliberately elusive and withholding information to add mystery to this "reveal". He knows had this been straightforward here's the gameplay reveal people would have accepted this for what it is a small indie title. Acting sketchy and deliberately withholding information has promoted this game into the conversation. Nonetheless, people are going to massively disappointed when this turns out NOT to be a triple AAA silent hill game. At least CD Pro Red had actually made some good games before being disingenuous. This guy has made little to nothing and will destroy all his credibility if this continues.

The only thing I don't like about all this is the video they showed first on the PS Blog is not the game anyway?!?! Am I the only one that thinks that is MISLEADING??? And i blame SONY to for that + this all sounds very odd to really

I'm not accepting this is some small time studio. Regardless of whether it's Kojima/Silent Hills etc.

@Danloaded Whilst I agree that they do not deserve abuse and it's a pathetic thing to do, but, as RBMango says above, they are hardly innocent in fanning the flames. That 'begins with S and ends in L' tweet was a really bad idea.

@RBMango wheres the fun in that?