Interactive Series ‘Silent Hill: Ascension’, With Backing From Bad Robot Games, Sets Halloween Night Launch And Eyes Broader Streaming Presence

Dade Hayes
·3 min read

Silent Hill: Ascension, an interactive horror series from Genvid Entertainment and Konami Digital Entertainment, is launching tonight with the hope that a broader streaming play will get its start on Halloween.

The premiere of the series, which centers on a cult and the bloody lengths its members will go to, will stream tonight at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET. The Silent Hill franchise has been a mainstay of the gaming world for more than 20 years, selling millions of copies. Accordingly, the new iteration has already gotten on the global radar, notching 1 million pre-registrations between Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

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Bad Robot Games, a division of JJ Abrams’ production outfit, is a partner in the Ascension series, along with Canadian gaming studio Behaviour Interactive.

The principles involved with the project envision the series having a media presence far beyond the usual provinces of interactive gaming. While Twitch and YouTube will be initial foundations for the rollout, hosting a pre-show event at 7:30 ET tonight where fans will be able to chat with creators, discussions are at an advanced stage to bring the experience to a general entertainment platform. Netflix generated attention for the promise of interactive entertainment with the 2018 film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. In the years since, the streaming field has grown more crowded and all players have looked for ways to engage younger audiences whose media habits are defined by social media and video games.

“Audiences will experience Silent Hill: Ascension for the first time tonight and we have no idea what choices they will make, or how it will end,” Genvid CEO Jacob Navok said. “It’s a perfect time for Halloween where the community will shape this one-of-a-kind horror series over the course of the next several months.”

Per the official logline, Silent Hill: Ascension “follows the complex lives of two families in peril, including Rachel Hernandez – a rising mystic acolyte, mother and community leader who will perform a ritual on new cult member, Joy Cirelli, who seeks spiritual healing. When things go horrifically wrong… Should Rachel tell Joy to a) Finish the oath b) Run! or c) Plead for mercy?”

The fate of characters will be determined by the audience response, with dozens of potential outcomes as the series unfolds.

“We’ve put a lot of effort crafting the story of the Johansen and Hernandez families, working with Konami Digital Entertainment to expand the Silent Hill lore in intriguing ways,” said Stephan Bugaj, Chief Creative Officer of Genvid Entertainment. “Creating a story where collective audience choices will determine the canonical ending has never been done before.”

After tonight’s premiere, viewers can watch updated scenes on demand, solve puzzles and take part in story decisions. Each day at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET, new scenes will go live and be shaped by viewer feedback.

Motoi Okamoto, producer of the Silent Hill series at the Japan-based Konami Digital Entertainment, said tonight’s premiere signals the “resurrection” of the franchise. “I am very proud of this project,” he added.

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