Screen Burn and the Townfall Team
Screen Burn developed SILENT HILL: Townfall, with KONAMI and Annapurna Interactive as co-publishers.
The Glasgow studio was founded in 2015 as No Code. Its earlier games include Stories Untold (2017) and the BAFTA-winning Observation (2019).
After Observation, Annapurna asked the team how it would approach Silent Hill. Screen Burn created a pitch and brought it to KONAMI, which welcomed its take on the series.
Inside Screen Burn: the CRTV
First person is central to the CRTV: the team designed it as an active visual and audio tool for story and stealth, building on Silent Hill’s familiar radio. A small handheld television helped inspire its form.
Raising and tuning the device puts you in control of its frequencies. It reveals narrative fragments and enemy positions, while peeking gives you more freedom to look around obstacles.
Watch Screen Burn explain the CRTV’s handheld-TV inspiration, tuning and enemy-detection design.Playing this video connects to YouTube.
Inside Screen Burn: Scotland and the Fog
Scotland gave the team a landscape it knew intimately. Its familiar fog and gray, drizzly weather helped make the first-person setting feel convincing.
The team visited Scotland’s east coast for reference. On one trip, fog concealed the coastline and left the team disoriented.
St Monans provided a close real-world counterpart for St. Amelia’s pier and harbor; this harbor area was the first place built for the game.
Watch Screen Burn explore coastal fog and the St Monans harbor behind St. Amelia’s pier.Playing this video connects to YouTube.
Studio Questions
- Was Screen Burn previously called No Code?
- Yes. The Glasgow studio began in 2015 under the name No Code and made Stories Untold and Observation before Townfall.
- Why did the team choose Scotland?
- It was the environment the creators grew up with and knew best. Its naturally foggy landscape also suited Silent Hill’s atmosphere.