Silent Hill 5 producer says Japan game development is in trouble

For the first time, a major entry to the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill 5 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3), is being made by an American team. Consequently, producer and composer Akira Yamaoka has to work with new people in a new environment. His thoughts? “Japan is in trouble.”

Find out why at the full article.

In an interview with Game Developer magazine, video game music composer Akira Yamaoka said “Japan is in trouble” after working with the American team behind Konami‘s Silent Hill 5 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) as producer. “They’re very advanced,” he replied when asked about developing the next big survival horror video game with a non-Japanese team.

Nothing is perfect, but in Yamaoka’s eyes, the west is more advanced when it comes to making games. “There are of course advantages and disadvantages, but overall, I’m really impressed with the American staff and their technology,” he said. Yamaoka continued, “Their graphical and technical ability is amazing. There’s a huge leap, actually.”

We often see creative games of all flavors from the land of the rising sun, yet according to Silent Hill 5‘s composer and producer, Japan is falling behind in the technical aspect of game development. “I look at what American developers are doing and I think wow… Japan is in trouble,” he concluded.