Bloober Team's successful Silent Hill 2 Remake has fueled their ambition to prove their capabilities extend beyond a single hit. This article explores their next project and their vision for the future.
Bloober Team's Redemption Continues
Building on Success
The overwhelmingly positive critical and fan response to Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 Remake has solidified their position in the horror genre. Despite significant changes from the original, the remake exceeded expectations. However, the team acknowledges past skepticism and aims to demonstrate their consistent ability to deliver high-quality horror experiences.
At the October 16th Xbox Partner Preview, Bloober Team unveiled their new 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's release.
Director Jacek Zieba described Cronos: The New Dawn as their "second punch" in a two-hit combo, with the Silent Hill 2 Remake serving as the "first." He highlighted the initial doubt surrounding their involvement with the Silent Hill 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 fan patience during development.
Ultimately, Bloober Team's efforts culminated in an 86 Metacritic score. Piejko remarked, "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: Evolution and Growth
Piejko positions 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 their experience from the Silent Hill 2 Remake, Bloober Team aims to enhance their gameplay, moving beyond the more limited mechanics 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 pivotal moment, representing "Bloober Team 3.0." Encouraged by the positive reception to the Cronos reveal trailer and the success of the Silent Hill 2 Remake, the team is optimistic about their future.
Zieba's vision is for Bloober Team to be recognized 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.'"
Piejko adds, "We gathered a team that loves horror," "So I think, for us, it would not be easy to switch [to other genres], and we don't want to."
