2026-02-18 17:01:31

The next instalment in the Silent Hill franchise was inspired by a small fishing village in Fife – with its sea fog, harbour and narrow lanes recreated for a global audience.

Jon McKellan, co-founder of the Glasgow-based developer Screen Burn, said Silent Hill: Townfall is set in the fictional town of St Amelia, and is modelled on the real-life village of St Monans in the East Neuk of Fife.

In a transmission on the official Silent Hill YouTube channel, Jon said the team had initially considered a more ambiguous setting.

He added: “There was a drive to create something that felt authentic to us and it kind of felt natural to bring it home.”

Jon said the physical atmosphere of the village played a central role in shaping the narrative.

He added: “It’s the smell and the wind and the sound of the place, all of that together is what you’re trying to recreate.

“When I started to write the story about what this town was, what happened to this town, the isolation was a big factor.

“There’s like an existential dread that comes with that. Silent Hill has always had a sense of not being able to leave the town, and face why you’re there.”

A trailer for the game shows a fishing village shrouded in haar – the cold sea fog common along Scotland’s east coast – with lobster boxes scattered across a harbour and bunting strung across darkened streets.

Placards beside a monument read “let the ferries in” and “this town is ours”, though the town appears deserted.

Art director Paul Abbott said the setting drew on personal memories.

He said: “It’s a beautifully epic, grey, drizzly environment and we’re bringing that to the game.”

Paul said the team had painstakingly recreated recognisable features including winding alleyways and the texture of the piers.

Jon said working on the franchise had been a milestone for the studio.

He added: “It’s not an opportunity we ever thought we’d get, but it’s one we knew we all wanted right away.”

Jon’s studio, which employs about 30 people, has described the next Silent Hill installment as its “biggest and most ambitious game yet”.

The survival horror series began in 1999 when it was first published by Japanese multinational Konami, and has since sold millions of units worldwide.

Its most recent spin-off, Silent Hill f, sold one million copies on the day of its release in September 2025.

When Townfall launches later in 2026, up to one million players could explore the virtual streets inspired by a village with a real-life population of just over 1,100.

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