What gamer hasn’t had a nightmare inspired by the works of Keiichiro Toyama? Toyama, who has been sharing the darkest corners of his mind with the industry for decades, is best known as the creator of the Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Rush franchises. Now, he’s got yet another project in the works – and it already looks downright terrifying.
Following his departure from Sony in late 2020, Toyama founded Bokeh Game Studio. His next project, which will also be Bokeh’s inaugural game, is slated to be a blend of the horror and action-adventure genres.
In a video posted to Bokeh’s YouTube channel, Toyama shared some early concept art of the still untitled project. Body horror is the name of the game, as the series of gruesome images features a number of spider- and squid-like creatures emerging from what appear to be corpses or perhaps even living human bodies. Insectoid limbs and tentacles are everywhere, as are mushroom-like monsters which bring to mind toxic fungus, and a mysterious sword-carrying figure traveling through a darkened cityscape.
The various pieces of concept art are featured alongside an interview with Toyama. Viewers should be warned that these images could be considered gruesome and frightening.
An insightful interview with our very own Keiichiro Toyama, who describes how he came into the games industry and what we have in mind for our new project.
我らがクリエイティブディレクター、外山圭一郎にフォーカスを当ててみました。 #BokehGameStudio #BGS https://t.co/EeTeoGc81W— Bokeh Game Studio (@BokehGameStudio) February 15, 2021
When asked to describe the inspiration behind this new project, Toyama cited both the “death game” genre and the “horrors of everyday life”. The “horror of everyday life” is definitely present in the insect-like creatures and the degradation of the human body. The influence of the “death game,” a genre of horror which features ordinary people forced to compete in dangerous challenges or games in order to survive, is less evident, but Toyama explained that he has recently been reading “death game” comics for entertainment.
Currently, Toyama and Bokeh Game Studio plan to release the untitled horror-action game sometime in 2023. In a recent interview, Toyama revealed that he hoped the game would release for both PC and “as many consoles as possible.” He also thinks that fans of his previous work will enjoy his next project, so horror fans should definitely keep an eye and an ear out for more news as it drops!
