Konami Asked Evil Empire to Make New Castlevania After Hit DLC

Q: With Castlevania revived, could Metal Gear or Silent Hill be the next franchises to return from the dead?

Silent Hill is not merely next in line; it is already well into a full-scale comeback, while Metal Gear is being revived more cautiously through remasters and a major remake rather than a clearly defined new-era relaunch. Konami’s handling of Castlevania offers a useful template. With “Belmont’s Curse,” the company paired the brand with Evil Empire, a studio steeped in the metroidvania genre, and built a project that mixes legacy elements with modern design. That same strategy is already visible in Silent Hill. The series has returned with the successful “Silent Hill 2” remake in 2024, “Silent Hill f” in 2025, and “Silent Hill: Townfall” due in September 2026. Konami has also confirmed a remake of the original 1999 “Silent Hill.” By any practical measure, Silent Hill has already returned from the dead. Metal Gear is a different case. Konami has brought the series back to market with “Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1,” and a second collection is scheduled for August 2026. More significantly, “Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater” is in development, showing that Konami still sees major value in the franchise. But the available evidence points more to preservation and remake-driven revival than to a broad creative reboot on the scale now visible with Castlevania or Silent Hill. So if the question is which franchise is next, Silent Hill already is. Metal Gear appears to be returning too, but more carefully and with less clarity about a full new chapter.

3 articles · Updated · Game Informer · Jul 17

Konami initiated Castlevania: Belmont's Curse by asking Evil Empire for a full new game, not by responding to a formal pitch from the Dead Cells studio.
The talks grew out of Konami's original approach for Dead Cells DLC, which turned into a joint brainstorm after Return to Castlevania proved a hit.
Evil Empire said its 2D combat experience made the pairing a natural fit, while Konami producer Tsutomu Taniguchi described the new game as Konami's own suggestion during negotiations.
The collaboration stretches back to 2022, when Evil Empire first sought a small Castlevania crossover for Dead Cells and found Konami already receptive as a fan of the game.
Belmont's Curse is positioned as the first new Castlevania entry in years, with more coverage due July 21 and a PS5 launch set for October 15.