The producer of Silent Hill 5 says Western technological capabilities are leaving Japanese game developers behind.

QJ.net has reported on a Game Developer magazine interview with Akira Yamaoka, in which he said that Western development techniques are more advanced that those in Japan. The comments came following his experience with California-based studio The Collective, which was responsible for the development of Silent Hill 5.

"They're very advanced," Yamaoka said when asked about working with a non-Japanese team. "There are of course advantages and disadvantages, but overall, I'm really impressed with the American staff and their technology. Their graphical and technical ability is amazing. There's a huge leap, actually."

"I look at what American developers are doing and I think wow... Japan is in trouble," he said.

Published by Konami, Silent Hill 5 is currently in development for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and is scheduled for a 2008 release.