Silent Hill creator says he wouldn't be "unsatisfied" if Slitterhead was his last game because his "last mission" is to "leave a path for these younger creators"

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"Obviously I'm not saying this is my last game," Keiichiro Toyama adds

Slitterhead demo
(Image credit: Bokeh Game Studio)

Keiichiro Toyama - the director and writer behind the original Silent Hill, Siren, and both Gravity Rushes - is now working on another new concept in the form of Slitterhead, a disturbing, body-hopping action-horror game. With such an influential resume behind him, the famed dev wouldn't be "unsatisfied" if it were to be his last directorial role.

During an interview with Gamesradar+ at Summer Game Fest 2024, Toyama was asked about his opinion on comments made by Astlibra Revision creator Keizo about how many games one could make within a single lifetime. "From a personal perspective, I'm going into my mid-50s," Toyama explained via an interpreter, "I don't feel like I'd be unsatisfied even if this was the last game I made."

Despite the sentiment, Toyama emphasizes that he doesn't have any concrete plans to stop making games, though his more pressing concern is about what he can leave for the next generation of developers under his wing. "I opened up this studio and we actually have a lot of new staff coming in, younger staff. I'm more concerned about what I can leave behind for them," he continued. "Obviously I'm not saying this is my last game. But I think my last mission is to leave a path for these younger creators to work on what they want to."

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto recently expressed a similar attitude, explaining that the company was in the midst of a "generational handover" with "developers that are young and brilliant." Resident Evil's once-director and fellow horror icon Shinji Mikami also stayed at his former studio Tango Gamesworks for eight years longer than he planned because he wanted to give younger developers a place to grow.

Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.