2024 hasn't been a total washout for horror games so far, but could certainly be better. With the exception of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, indie developers have largely been leading the charge, both in terms of recent launches and the handful of known upcoming horror games with concrete release dates in sight. Don't get me wrong – Crow Country, Alone in the Dark, Dead by Daylight, and The Outlast Trials have kept me well-fed, but I can't help but look back at the bumper year of 2023 and feel wistful for the palpable excitement felt by the community in the lead-up to Alan Wake 2 this time last summer.
With the Summer Game Fest schedule promising a host of reveals and announcements in the coming days, I'm hoping to rediscover the hype. We've already gotten a closer look at Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake during its extended gameplay reveal on May 30, so now, I'm setting my sights on five other games in particular. A handful of them have been pinpointed already in our list of SGF predictions according to publishers, but if any of these games show face this weekend, it'll be a huge win for the horror community – and my personal wishlist.
5. Silent Hill f
Konami is teaming up with NeoBards Entertainment to bring us the ninth mainline game in its Silent Hill franchise, set in 1960s Japan – and we know precious little else about Silent Hill f. This one might be a long-shot of a Summer Game Fest wishlist entry, but with the publisher having shadow-dropped a bitesize free-to-play PS5 exclusive in the form of Silent Hill: The Lost Message earlier this year, I know the cogs are turning. I didn't really care for the heavy-handed "metaphors" of this horror walking sim-meets-bullying PSA, but it shows that Konami is engaging with its legacy IP in interesting new ways. It also made a valiant effort at pitching Sakura Head – a play on the iconic Pyramid Head – as our next new monster, and I'd like to see Konami bring her back for a repeat performance in Silent Hill f. That certainly seems to be the plan, with official teaser images featuring bouquets of telltale flowers adorning a faceless woman; what if Konami was just warming us up for a full Silent Hill f reveal this summer when it launched The Lost Message back in February?
4. Slitterhead
Another horror game I'm sorely in need of seeing at Summer Game Fest 2024 is Slitterhead. This gruesome Japanese body horror has been keeping itself hidden for far too long, last seen in July 2023 when developer Bokeh Game Studio revealed pre-alpha gameplay footage – oh, and the existence of a playable dog. This little tease, as well as the fact that the game was announced back in 2021, has me convinced that it's high time Slitterhead slithers out from the shadows to give us a little more than a teaser trailer. What evidence do I have that it might show up at SGF? Absolutely none, except for the ardent hope in my black little heart.
3. Resident Evil 9
I'll keep shouting it from the rooftops until Capcom hears me: please oh please let Resident Evil 9 be revealed at Summer Game Fest. The most recent RE9 rumors have done nothing but agitate me even more, though I think we can all agree that Resident Evil 9: Revenant Shadows is a bit of a lame and long-winded title that would totally break from tradition. The ninth mainline instalment in Capcom's survival horror franchise has been the subject of so much speculation that it's no longer fun to think about, and I'd very much like the rumor mill to be set straight with an official announcement from the publisher this weekend. Sure, Capcom is most likely at SGF to show off its upcoming Monster Hunter game following a gameplay reveal at May's Sony State of Play, but I'd take comfort in any mention of RE9 – even if it's just a measly title card – to reassure me that it hasn't been forgotten amid the litany of remakes.
2. Alan Wake 2: Night Springs DLC
As I mentioned earlier, Alan Wake 2 dominated conversations in the survival horror scene toward the midpoint of 2023 – and with the first of two DLCs launching imminently, how awesome would it be to have a little taste of Night Springs at SGF? Described as a series of self-contained episodes that comprise a TV series set in the AW universe, the Night Springs DLC sounds similar to Alan Wake's American Nightmare. We know that it's slated for a "late spring" launch, but another reason it feels ripe for a Summer Game Fest appearance is the fact that developer Remedy has mysteriously revamped its Twitter account under the guise of Poison Pill Entertainment – and the new header image strapline reads "1995, Night Springs City." Studio lead Sam Lake has even amended his own Twitter bio in kind, so I think it's safe to say that a major announcement is incoming from the Alan Wake 2 crew.
1. OD
It wouldn't be a Geoff Keighley weekender without an appearance from his best buddy and renowned game director, Hideo Kojima. Gaming's resident enigma announced a host of new projects at The Game Awards 2023, including an upcoming horror "experience" titled OD. Kojima's disturbing and predictably confusing teaser trailer gives nothing up, and aside from the fact that its star-studded cast features the likes of Hunter Schafer, we know precious little else about OD right now. Between this, Death Stranding 2, and a brand new project with Jordan Peele in the works, Kojima's schedule is looking just a little hectic these days. But that doesn't mean he won't have a bean or two to spill about his creepy-looking new horror game, and it would be very on brand of him to drop something totally unhinged into our laps at some point this weekend. In fact, it'll be weirder if he doesn't.
The long-awaited next entry in the cult classic horror RPG series Pathologic is getting a free "prelude" game, and after 19 years we'll finally see the mysterious Capital
Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid lead Hideo Kojima once said "everything I make ends up feeling somewhat like a movie" because he'd "grown up with them"
