Further to our exclusive about Akira Yamaoka a few days ago, we can now reveal that a contact at Konami USA has confirmed that the story is “not wrong” and that Silent Hill producer and sound director Yamaoka definitely left Konami at the end of November.

Now we’ve had time for the news to sink in, how do you feel? Personally, I’m looking forward to Konami’s next move. Yamaoka is mind-numbingly awesome but surely no-one’s irreplaceable? Given the interest in the new approach to survival horror showcased in the up-and-coming Silent Hill Shattered Memories, this may not signal the death of the Silent Hill franchise, but merely it’s rebirth . . .

Silent Hill Shattered Memories hits retailers in the US on 8 December and on the 11 February 2010 in Europe.