{"id":209344,"date":"2023-01-16T11:50:58","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T10:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=209344"},"modified":"2025-07-01T20:10:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T03:10:57","slug":"konami-starts-pulling-silent-hill-licenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/konami-starts-pulling-silent-hill-licenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Konami starts pulling Silent Hill licenses to protect the intellectual property"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About two to three weeks ago, I had the unpleasant experience of having <strong>Konami withdraw the permission<\/strong> I had received in 2012 to write my own <strong>Silent Hill novels<\/strong>. Since I\u2019d published one and was mid-way through the second, it came as quite a blow. However, the experience showed me just how much the publisher wants to protect its intellectual property going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what happened, why <strong>Konami pulled the Silent Hill license<\/strong>, and what\u2019s to come in the future.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happened to my Silent Hill novels?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wrote a detailed article on my book publishing website about <a href=\"https:\/\/celenicearthpublications.com\/konami-permission-silent-hill-novels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Konami removing the permission for my Silent Hill novels<\/a>. While I don\u2019t want to rewrite all those details, there are some chief points I want to highlight as an overview:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Konami team incorrectly redirected me in 2012 to a local license distributor for the license, who gave me permission to write the Silent Hill novels, even though they didn\u2019t have the authority to do so<\/li><li>I published my first Silent Hill: Betrayal novel in 2016, which was released worldwide, with a brand new story, character, and locations<\/li><li>I almost completed the second novel, Silent Hill: Obversion, two months ago<\/li><li>Konami UK approached me in November 2022, asking for evidence of the license, stating that they want to <strong>protect the intellectual property<\/strong> now that new products are being developed<\/li><li>After considering the evidence of communication I sent through, Konami Japan advised that the correct process wasn\u2019t followed and retracted the so-called \u2018permission\u2019<\/li><li>I applied for a new license for ten years for all seven books in the Boatman Saga<\/li><li>Konami declined the application, stating that my <strong>story isn\u2019t in line with its future plans<\/strong> for the franchise, but they\u2019ll contact me if that ever changes<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"263\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-3.jpg\" alt=\"Konami officially removes permission for Shaun M Jooste\u2019s Silent Hill novels 3\" class=\"wp-image-209351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-3.jpg 263w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-3-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-3-9x12.jpg 9w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-3-150x200.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 263px) 100vw, 263px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Protecting the intellectual property: why now suddenly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What strikes me and so many of my followers as strange is that Konami now suddenly wants to protect its intellectual property. After I\u2019d already published the first book and sold over a thousand copies, it now wants to <strong>deal with Silent Hill differently<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It left me wondering if they\u2019re doing the same for other Silent Hill products and books. There are many fan-made comics and novels online for the I.P. Are they being fair, approaching them too and asking for <strong>proof of license approval<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One comment by Konami struck me as interesting. There was a hint that if a bigger name was behind the novel or publication, they might reconsider. This leaves me to believe that perhaps it\u2019s more about how much money they can make from my novels rather than protecting the I.P. Of course, this is all conjecture, and we\u2019ll have to go with <strong>defending the intellectual property<\/strong> of Silent Hill as the official response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ve almost seen the same behavior with Dungeons and Dragons recently. Wizards of the Coast are revising the rules of the <strong>open license agreement<\/strong>. They initially drafted a statement whereby they could take royalties for the use of the property. As you\u2019ll see in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/dungeons-dragons-community-takes-a-stand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one of my recent articles<\/a>, the community struck back and that section was removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps I should rally the Silent Hill community to do the same for me\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If only I didn\u2019t like and respect Konami as much as I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Konami officially removes permission for Shaun M Jooste\u2019s Silent Hill novels 3\" class=\"wp-image-209353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-664x374.jpg 664w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-238x134.jpg 238w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-436x246.jpg 436w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-304x170.jpg 304w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-18x10.jpg 18w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-4.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">There could have been a Silent Hill multiverse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s go back to the comment by Konami that my stories aren\u2019t in line with <strong>future plans for the series<\/strong>. I honestly am still struggling to see why this is an issue. Most of the stories have plots of their own. Silent Hill 1, 3, and Origins deal with Alessa, while <a href=\"https:\/\/silent-hill-2.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Silent Hill 2<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/silent-hill-4-the-room.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4<\/a> are only connected by Walter Sullivan, and it\u2019s thin at best. <a href=\"https:\/\/silent-hill-downpour.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Downpour<\/a> and Homecoming were completely different stories, and <a href=\"https:\/\/silent-hill-f.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Silent Hill F<\/a> seems to have nothing to do with any of these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why I don\u2019t really believe my Boatman Saga should be an issue. Silent Hill provides a <strong>different experience<\/strong> for anyone that enters. The least Konami could have done was be honest with me about why they don\u2019t want to approve the license. I\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t buy this \u2018reason\u2019 they provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a sense, all these stories could have led to a <strong>cool crossover<\/strong>, much like Marvel and DC\u2019s multiverse notion. Imagine a game where they all appear, as do the different versions of Pyramid Head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Konami officially removes permission for Shaun M Jooste\u2019s Silent Hill novels 3\" class=\"wp-image-209354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-664x374.jpg 664w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-238x134.jpg 238w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-436x246.jpg 436w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-304x170.jpg 304w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-18x10.jpg 18w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What will happen to my horror novels now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Konami continues with its plans for <a href=\"https:\/\/silent-hill-2.en.softonic.com\/articles\/silent-hill-remake-new-games\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new Silent Hill games and movies<\/a>, I need to continue with my novels. The game publisher did say that perhaps it will <strong>change its mind in the future<\/strong>, but I have no idea how long that will be, if ever. I have thousands of readers wanting to know what will happen in the second book. Holding on is not a viable option for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, I\u2019m taking a small break from the horror series. On my <a href=\"https:\/\/authorshaunmjooste.wordpress.com\/2022\/11\/26\/hades-star-next-science-fiction-novel-seroes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">author site<\/a>, I\u2019ve detailed all the novel projects I\u2019m busy with, which are extensive.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for the Boatman Saga, I\u2019m simply going to <strong>change the town\u2019s name<\/strong> and all references to Silent Hill. My followers and I toyed with names like \u201cQuiet Valley\u201d or \u201cTormented Town\u201d, but none of them resonate with me. I think I\u2019ve narrowed down the name I want to go with that speaks to the essence of the haunted location, but I\u2019ll make that announcement sometime in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story will go on\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-1.jpg\" alt=\"Konami officially removes permission for Shaun M Jooste\u2019s Silent Hill novels 3\" class=\"wp-image-209355\" width=\"254\" height=\"339\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-1-9x12.jpg 9w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/Konami-officially-removes-permission-for-Shaun-M-Joostes-Silent-Hill-novels-5-1-150x200.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will I still be involved in Silent Hill projects?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the last communication with Konami UK, it felt like they were still providing me with the hope that I can work on Silent Hill projects in the future. It was nothing cast in stone, though. I did say that, although I\u2019m renaming my horror series, Konami are welcome to contact me at any time if they\u2019d like me to write any books or content for games\/movies in the future.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m not holding my breath, but that would be fantastic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About two to three weeks ago, I had the unpleasant experience of having Konami withdraw the permission I had received in 2012 to write my own Silent Hill novels. Since I\u2019d published one and was mid-way through the second, it came as quite a blow. However, the experience showed me just how much the publisher &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/konami-starts-pulling-silent-hill-licenses\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Konami starts pulling Silent Hill licenses to protect the intellectual property&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9205,"featured_media":209349,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[1015],"tags":[3782,3781],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-209344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-konami","tag-silent-hill"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209344"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":322605,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209344\/revisions\/322605"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209344"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=209344"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=209344"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=209344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}