It’s with a heavy heart that I have to report that Akira Yamaoka, the creative genius behind the music of the Silent Hill franchise, has confirmed that he has in fact left Konami. What a shame. Here at TGL were obviously big gaming fans but were also big music fans. Were always interested in interviews with musicians as well as developers and have been lucky to interview and chat with musicians involved in franchises as big as Metal Gear Solid, Bully 1-2 and Command and Conquer. Akira Yamaoka was literally on my list of ‘music makers’ I wanted to contact and interview. Ever since I saw Yamaoka discussing his interpretations of Silent Hill 2 on the game’s PS2 bonus disc, I been more than slightly intrigued and have become a massive fan of his work.

Why he left is a question that remains unanswered. Some video game blogs are suggesting he had grown tired of the Japanese gaming industry and wants to work on a solo album, independent of Konami and video games. Whatever the reason, were after losing one of the great contemporary video game composers. Hopefully he will jump back into the arena which another company or developer. Who knows? Listen to Yamaoka’s class ‘Theme of Laura’ from Silent Hill 2 below.