Bloober Team, riding high on the positive reception of their Silent Hill 2 remake, is determined to prove their recent success wasn't a fluke. Their next project aims to solidify their position in the horror genre.
Bloober Team's Path to Redemption
Building on Success
The overwhelmingly positive response to the Silent Hill 2 remake has been a significant boost for Bloober Team. Despite the considerable changes from the original, fans and critics alike have praised the result. However, the team acknowledges the initial skepticism they faced and is eager to demonstrate their continued growth.
At the Xbox Partner Preview on October 16th, 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" following the "first punch" of the Silent Hill 2 remake, highlighting their underdog status. The initial doubt surrounding their ability to handle a survival horror title of such renown fueled their determination.
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 pressure was immense, leading the company to publicly request patience from fans.
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.
Bloober Team 3.0: A New Era
Piejko positions Cronos: The New Dawn as a testament to their ability to create compelling original IPs. Players will take on the role of "The Traveler," navigating between past and future to alter a dystopian timeline ravaged by pandemic and mutants.
Leveraging the experience gained from the Silent Hill 2 remake, Bloober Team aims to evolve beyond their earlier titles like Layers of Fear and Observer, which featured less robust gameplay. 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 their transformation into "Bloober Team 3.0," a studio confident in its evolution. The positive reception to the Cronos reveal trailer further bolsters their optimism.
Zieba's vision for Bloober Team is clear: to be recognized as a leading horror developer. He stated, "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."
