Konami’s Australian distributor, Mindscape, have announced that several titles have been delayed due to the volcanic ash cloud – caused by the ongoing volcanic eruption in Iceland.

According to Mindscape, the Wii version of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will definitely be delayed along with Puzzle Chronicles on the DS and PSP, not to mention Karaoke Revolution on the PS3 and Wii.

Scene It? Twilight on the Wii and DS, GTi Supermini Fiesta on the Wii, and Sports Island on the DS may also be pushed back.

Mindscape told Kotaku: “Due to the second eruption of the Iceland volcano and further disruption to flights, our shipment of Wii stock will be delayed. One of the world’s leading freight forwarders, Expeditors, has advised this morning that, due to the substantial freight shipments that are building up around the world, they are uncertain how quickly the backlog will be cleared.”

Konami’s working with a new developer on a new Silent Hill game for “next-gen consoles”, aka PS3 and Xbox 360.

The publisher revealed the news at an event in Frankfurt, Germany yesterday – dutifully attended by Eurogamer Germany.

No other details were given.

Silent Hill: Homecoming was Konami’s last original take on the IP and was released in autumn 2008 to a lukewarm reception. Better received was Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on Wii, a re-imagining of the first Silent Hill game from 1999.

Shattered Memories received a whopping 9/10 here on Eurogamer but sadly hasn’t appealed to the Wii audience in quite the same way.

Konami’s Gamers Night 2010 presentation concluded with a nice surprise: A teaser trailer for what could only be a new Silent Hill game. Well, maybe not entirely new.

In the footage, which appeared to be an in-engine recording of gameplay from one or both of the current HD consoles, a male character resembling James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2 awoke from a public bench and began wandering the foggy, deserted streets of a suburban neighborhood. While the game’s title was not revealed, given the recent revisiting of the original Silent Hill in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, a remake of the second game in the series doesn’t seem too far-fetched.

The teaser ended with the tagline: “End the Silence” and “E3.” We suspect the weather report for Los Angeles in the third week of June will call for sunny with a chance of terrifying fog.

At Konami’s press event last night in San Francisco, the company closed the show with a brief glimpse at the next Silent Hill game. The short trailer was light on specifics: a blonde man sits on the edge of a bed holding his head in his hands. The world around him morphs into a dark, deserted road in front of a dilapidated gate. The man hears a sound, turns, sees nothing, then gets attacked by something from the darkness when he turns back.

Will it be another retelling a la the divisive Shattered Memories? An entirely new entry in the series? At this point we don’t even have an official title, so it’s all conjecture.

However, we do know the game is being developed by Vatra Games, the same company behind the upcoming Rush ‘N Attack. While the trailer itself was devoid of any concrete details beyond “more to come at E3,” the developer’s website details the company’s focus on “high-end action titles for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC,” so it’s safe to assume that the next Silent Hill will probably not be for Wii or one of the handheld platforms. And, well, there definitely won’t be any music from long time series composer, Akira Yamaoka, but you already knew that.

You may have noticed that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is out on store shelves on PSP. But did you notice where it isn’t on sale? You guessed it – the European PlayStation Store. Now, that may not be big news for the majority of PSP owners, but it is big news for anyone who spent £230 on the PSP Go. These premium customers simply cannot play this new PSP game.

It’s not the only Konami game to miss the store since the Go’s launch. Looking back to November, PES 2010 was another notable no-show. Co-incidence? We contacted Konami for comment and were told:

“Konami does not have a general approach on this, but we decide all products on a case-by-case situation on a European level.”

A ‘case by case situation’? That doesn’t sound good. We’ll almost certainly be getting Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in digital form (the demo’s already on the store), but how many other games won’t be made available for the Go? Is this the start of a trend where third-party publishers shun the store and therefore PSP Go?

Concerned, we asked Sony about how much it costs publishers to have a game hosted on the store and whether there are any incentives in place to make sure new games can be purchased on PSP Go. Mike Kebby from the PlayStation Store team told us:

“We can’t answer [that] as we don’t discuss our business model.”

However, he was allowed to tell us:

“All 1st party games are published digitally, for other publishers it is their decision if they want to release a digital version.”

Why is it their decision? How hard would it be when licensing a game to appear on PSP that it’s stipulated by Sony that a digital version must also be provided for download?

The store’s inadequacies were understandable when the PSP Go first launched and the vast majority of back catalogue games were unavailable for purchase. Licenses change which prevent them from being published again. And at least most of our favourite old games are now on the store. But for new games to be unavailable? There’s no excuse. Sony needs to address this situation fast.

Not even the most loyal fans will continue to pay more for less forever. That small existing install base may just uninstall if this trend continues, especially as 16GB memory cards can replicate the Go’s biggest selling point in a PSP 3000 at a fraction of the cost. Even though the Go is a beautiful piece of hardware, reverting to the Slim & Lite looks like a mighty attractive proposition from here.

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has today confirmed that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will be available in Australian stores on April 22nd on Wii, PS2 and PSP.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a re-imagining of the original Silent Hill with all new twists. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories begins much like the beloved original. The game opens to the scene following a car accident where the central character, Harry Mason, wakes to find his daughter Cheryl missing. Harry sets out into the snowy streets of the haunted town of Silent Hill to find her, and that’s where his living nightmare begins as he not only discovers the truth about his daughter, but also about himself.

The Wii , PlayStation2 and PSP versions include an all-new user interface featuring a mobile phone which acts as a story telling device, map and camera as well as an all-new psych profiling system that plays upon the player’s innermost fears. The game constantly watches the player’s every move and adapts to their actions, offering a customised intense horror experience each time.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is rated “M” and will be available in retail stores from April 22nd. The recommended retail price will be $69.95 for PlayStation2 and PSP and $79.95 for Wii

Wow that’s a hefty price to pay for a re-make of the original. Of course, that’s Aussie dollars.

Sydney, Australia, 25 March 2010: Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has today confirmed that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will be available in Australian stores on April 22nd on Wii ®, PS2® and PSP®.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a re-imagining of the original Silent Hill with all new twists. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories begins much like the beloved original. The game opens to the scene following a car accident where the central character, Harry Mason, wakes to find his daughter Cheryl missing. Harry sets out into the snowy streets of the haunted town of Silent Hill to find her, and that’s where his living nightmare begins as he not only discovers the truth about his daughter, but also about himself.

The Wii ®, PlayStation®2 and PSP® versions include an all-new user interface featuring a mobile phone which acts as a story telling device, map and camera as well as an all-new psych profiling system that plays upon the player’s innermost fears. The game constantly watches the player’s every move and adapts to their actions, offering a customised intense horror experience each time.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is rated “M” and will be available in retail stores from April 22nd. The recommended retail price will be $69.95 for PlayStation®2 and PSP® and $79.95 for Wii ®

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will be available at JB Hi-Fi, Gameswarehouse.com.au, Gamesmen, selected Harvey Norman stores and selected game resellers. It is currently available for pre-order via GAME’s website at http://www.game.com.au/silent-hill-shattered-memories/nintendo-wii/E108145

About KONAMI CORPORATION
KONAMI CORPORATION was established in 1973, and became a holding company on March 31, 2006. KONAMI CORPORATION covers the fields of “Digital Entertainment Business”, “Health & Fitness Business” and “Gaming & System Business”. KONAMI CORPORATION went public on Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1988, the London Stock Exchange in 1999, and the New York Stock Exchange in 2002. Home Page URL: www.konami.co.jp. Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary, responsible for popular franchises like Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Pro Evolution Soccer amongst other top sellers. For more information concerning Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH and its products, please visit www.konami-europe.com/games

Australia Contact:
For more information, please contact Rebecca Tannous at Mindscape Asia Pacific on +61 2 9964 0476 email rebecca.tannous@mindscape.com.au