Bloober Team, riding high on the success of their Silent Hill 2 Remake, is determined to prove their recent achievements weren't a fluke. Their next project aims to solidify their position in the horror genre. Read on to discover more about their upcoming game and future plans.
Bloober Team's Continued Ascent
Building on Success
The overwhelmingly positive critical and player response to the Silent Hill 2 Remake has been a significant boost for Bloober Team. Despite the substantial changes from the original, the remake was well-received, exceeding many expectations. However, the team hasn't forgotten the initial skepticism they faced during development. They aim to leverage this newfound trust to demonstrate their lasting capabilities.
At the Xbox Partner Preview on October 16th, Bloober Team unveiled their next horror title, Cronos: The New Dawn. Conscious of avoiding being overshadowed by their recent triumph, Game Designer Wojciech Piejko emphasized their departure from the Silent Hill 2 formula, stating to Gamespot, "We don't want to make a similar game." He revealed that development on Cronos began in 2021, shortly after the release of The Medium.
Director Jacek Zieba described Cronos: The New Dawn as their "second punch" in a two-hit combo, with the Silent Hill 2 Remake being the "first." He highlighted their underdog status, referencing the initial doubts surrounding their ability to handle a project of such significance, given their previous work.
Zieba reflected, "Nobody believed we could deliver, and we delivered. That was a big honor, that we, as Bloober, could work with Silent Hill and Konami. As horror creators, we love Silent Hill, like, I think, most horror fans [do]." The pressure was immense, even prompting a public statement requesting fan patience.
Ultimately, Bloober Team's efforts resulted in an 86 Metacritic score. Piejko commented, "They made the impossible possible, and it was a bumpy road because of all the hate on the internet. The pressure was big on them, and they delivered, and for the company, it's an amazing moment."
Bloober Team 3.0: A New Era
Piejko framed Cronos: The New Dawn as a testament to their ability to create compelling original IP. The game features a time-traveling protagonist, "The Traveler," navigating the past and future to save individuals and alter a dystopian future ravaged by pandemic and mutants.
Leveraging the experience gained from the Silent Hill 2 Remake, Bloober Team aims to build upon their previous work, expanding on the gameplay elements present in earlier titles like Layers of Fear and Observer. Zieba stated that "the basis [for Cronos] when we started in pre-production was there [thanks to] the Silent Hill team."
The Silent Hill 2 Remake marks a turning point, representing "Bloober Team 3.0." The positive initial response to the Cronos reveal trailer has further bolstered their confidence. Piejko expressed encouragement at the success of both Cronos's reveal and the Silent Hill 2 Remake, believing they've significantly improved their reputation.
Zieba's vision is for Bloober Team to be recognized as a leading force in horror, stating, "We want to find our niche, and we think we found our niche, so now we just—let's evolve with it. [...] And how that happens is more complex, but it also happens organically in a way, like with [2016's] Layers of Fear, people in the studio were like, 'Okay, we made some shitty games before, but we [can] evolve.'"
Piejko added, "We gathered a team that loves horror," Piejko adds. "So I think, for us, it would not be easy to switch [to other genres], and we don't want to."
