In a recent tweet, the artist behind Konami's shift away from core gaming and towards microtransactions and NFTs, a move that was recently criticized by PlatinumGames CEO Hideki Kamiya.
Meant to represent feelings of guilt and shame possessed by James Sunderland, Pyramid Head was scorched into the minds of countless gamers after it showed up in 2001's Silent Hill 2. Although the monster was very clearly and directly tied to the psyche of Sunderland, its icon status, powerful image, and widespread popularity among horror fans prompted Konami to carry Pyramid Head over to other games in the franchise, and even the Silent Hill movies. Due to (or perhaps in spite of) the Pyramid Head's repeated appearances, it became nearly synonymous with the franchise and continues to be one of the strongest pieces of Silent Hill iconography to this day. Even modern horror games like Dead by Daylight can feature Pyramid Head.
Masahiro Ito, a now-freelance artist who originally envisioned the design of Pyramid Head, recently expressed some negative feelings related to Pyramid Head in a Tweet. The somewhat vague Tweet is not expanded upon by Ito, who sent a follow-up Tweet stating "I don't tweet the reason". Ito did, however, explain that his regret is not related to any issues with royalties or merchandising rights surrounding the character.
Thus, fans have been left to speculate about what exactly is causing Ito to regret one of his most iconic creations. An obvious explanation could have something to do with Konami's extended use of the character, as the studio has certainly not been shy about including Pyramid Head even when the story context does not fit with his appearance. Alternatively, Ito could feel that Pyramid Head is overshadowing his larger body of work. Earlier Pyramid Head-related tweets from Ito have suggested that the legendary artist would perhaps return to the Silent Hill franchise, but these newer Tweets seem to hint towards the opposite.
Ito's statements are part of a larger aura of negativity surrounding the Silent Hill franchise in recent years. The cancellation of Silent Hills and the relegation of the entire IP as a wrap for a series of pachinko machines have indeed made many in the gaming community feel that Konami has fallen far from grace. Hopefully, the Japanese gaming giant can do justice to the legacy left behind by games like Silent Hill 2 with future releases.
Source: Masahiro Ito/Twitter
