Team Silent

Team Silent was a Japanese development group operating within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET). The team produced the first four entries in the Silent Hill series, which Konami published between 1999 and 2004. KCET merged into its parent company on April 1, 2005, and Konami Digital Entertainment (KDE) was formed by the parent company on March 31, 2006.

According to Kenzie LaMar, lead character artist on *Silent Hill: Homecoming*, Konami itself ultimately dissolved Team Silent. The company wanted other developers to handle the franchise and sought a different direction for the games. Subsequent titles were made by non-Japanese studios, including Climax Studios, Double Helix Games, and Vatra Games.

Key members of Team Silent include: Norihito Hatakeda, graphic engine programmer for *Silent Hill 2* and *Silent Hill 3*, who later joined Kojima Productions; Akihiro Imamura, game system programmer on the first *Silent Hill* and producer of *Silent Hill 2* and sub-producer of *Silent Hill 4: The Room*; Masahiro Ito, background and monster designer for the original game and art director and monster designer for *Silent Hill 2* and *Silent Hill 3*, who left Konami in March 2006 to work as a freelance artist; Gozo Kitao, producer of the first *Silent Hill* and executive producer of *Silent Hill 2* and *Silent Hill 3*; Suguru Murakoshi, drama director and animator on *Silent Hill 2* and director and scenario writer for *Silent Hill 4: The Room*, who later worked at Kojima Productions and Tango Gameworks; Kazuhide Nakazawa, character animator on *Silent Hill 2* and director and monster designer for *Silent Hill 3*; Hiroyuki Owaku, enemy and event programmer for the first game and scenario writer for *Silent Hill 2* and *Silent Hill 3*; Takayoshi Sato, character designer and CGI creator for the first two games, who left Konami for Electronic Arts in February 2003, later joined Virtual Heroes, Inc.