Bloober Team, riding high on the positive reception of their Silent Hill 2 remake, is eager to prove their recent success wasn't a fluke. Their next project aims to solidify their position in the horror genre.
Bloober Team's Continued Ascent
Building on Success, Moving Beyond
The overwhelmingly positive response to the Silent Hill 2 remake has been a significant boost for Bloober Team. Despite the substantial changes from the original, fans embraced the remake, proving a resounding success. However, the team acknowledges the initial skepticism they faced and seeks to build lasting trust with future projects. They aim to demonstrate their capabilities extend beyond a single triumph.
At the October 16th Xbox Partner Preview, 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]." Development on Cronos began in 2021, shortly after The Medium launched.
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, acknowledging the initial doubt surrounding their ability to handle such a beloved franchise.
Zieba stated, "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 team even issued a public statement requesting fan patience during development.
Ultimately, Bloober Team's efforts paid off, 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 commented.
Evolution: Bloober Team 3.0
Piejko views Cronos: The New Dawn, a game featuring a time-traveling protagonist navigating a pandemic-ravaged future, as a testament to their ability to create compelling original IPs.
Leveraging the experience gained from the Silent Hill 2 remake, Bloober Team intends to refine their gameplay, moving beyond the limitations of earlier titles like Layers of Fear and Observer. Zieba noted, "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 of the Cronos reveal trailer and the Silent Hill 2 remake's success, the team is optimistic about the future.
Zieba aims to establish Bloober Team as a leading horror developer, 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 added. "So I think, for us, it would not be easy to switch [to other genres], and we don't want to."
