Bloober Team's successful Silent Hill 2 Remake has launched them into a new phase. Their next project aims to solidify their position as a major player in the horror genre, proving their recent success wasn't a fluke. This article delves into their upcoming game and future plans.
Bloober Team's Path to Redemption
Building Confidence and Exceeding Expectations
The overwhelmingly positive reception to Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 Remake has been a significant turning point. Despite substantial changes from the original, the remake impressed gamers and critics alike. However, Bloober Team acknowledges the initial skepticism they faced and is determined to build upon this success, proving their capabilities extend beyond a single title.
At the Xbox Partner Preview on October 16th, Bloober Team unveiled their next horror title, Cronos: The New Dawn. Game Designer Wojciech Piejko emphasized a departure from their previous work, stating to Gamespot, "We don't want to make a similar game [to Silent Hill 2]." 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 the initial doubts surrounding their ability to handle such a beloved franchise, given their lack of prior experience with survival horror.
Zieba commented, "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 studio even issued a public statement urging fans for patience during development.
Ultimately, Bloober Team exceeded expectations, achieving an 86 Metacritic score. "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," Piejko noted.
Evolution: Bloober Team 3.0
Piejko views Cronos: The New Dawn as a testament to their ability to create compelling original IPs. The game features a time-traveling protagonist, "The Traveler," navigating the past and future to save lives and alter a dystopian future ravaged by pandemic and mutants.
Leveraging the experience gained from the Silent Hill 2 Remake, Bloober Team aims to enhance their gameplay, building upon the foundations laid by earlier titles like Layers of Fear and Observer, which had comparatively less complex gameplay mechanics. Zieba explained 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 significant evolution for the studio, representing "Bloober Team 3.0." Encouraged by the positive reception to the Cronos reveal trailer and the success of the Silent Hill 2 Remake, they are optimistic about the future.
Zieba aspires 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.'"
"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."
