Bloober Team, riding the wave of success from the Silent Hill 2 Remake, is set to further establish their reputation in the gaming world with their upcoming projects. Dive into the details of what's next for this ambitious studio and their plans for the future.
Bloober Team Wants to Continue Their Redemption Arc
Building Trust and Showing Out
The past two weeks have seen an outpouring of positive feedback from both gamers and critics for Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake. Fans were thrilled with the quality of the game, which, despite significant changes from the original, exceeded expectations. However, Bloober Team isn't resting on their laurels; they are keenly aware of the skepticism and doubt they faced during development. With their newly earned trust, they aim to prove they are not just a one-hit wonder.
During the latest Xbox Partner Preview on October 16, Bloober Team unveiled their next horror venture, Cronos: The New Dawn. In an effort to avoid being pigeonholed, Game Designer Wojciech Piejko emphasized in a Gamespot interview that "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 the "second punch" in a two-hit combo, with the Silent Hill 2 Remake being the "first punch." He views the studio as underdogs, a sentiment that was palpable when they were initially met with skepticism upon being announced as the developers for the revered horror title. 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 studio even issued a statement asking for fans' patience amidst the backlash.
Ultimately, Bloober Team overcame the challenges, achieving an impressive 86 on Metacritic. 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."
Not Their Final Form: Bloober Team 3.0
Piejko described Cronos: The New Dawn as an opportunity to showcase their ability to develop an original IP. In the game, players assume the role of The Traveler, navigating between the past and future to save individuals and alter a future devastated by a pandemic and mutants.
Leveraging the expertise gained from the Silent Hill 2 remake, Bloober Team is poised to evolve beyond their earlier works like Layers of Fear and Observer, which featured less complex gameplay. Zieba noted that "the basis [for Cronos] when we started in pre-production was there [thanks to] the Silent Hill team."
The studio considers this their next evolution, dubbing it "Bloober Team 3.0" following the Silent Hill 2 remake. They are encouraged by the positive reception to the Cronos reveal trailer, with Piejko stating that they feel bolstered by the success of both Cronos and the Silent Hill 2 remake, which has significantly improved the studio's reputation.
Zieba is determined for Bloober Team to be recognized as a horror game specialist, saying, "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. So I think, for us, it would not be easy to switch [to other genres], and we don't want to."
