Silent Hill 2 Remake Promises Enhanced Experience

Bloober Team, riding high on the success of their Silent Hill 2 remake, is determined to prove their recent triumph wasn't a fluke. Their next project aims to solidify their position in the horror genre. Read on to discover more about their upcoming game and future plans.

Bloober Team's Continued Ascent

Building on Success and Addressing Past Skepticism

The overwhelmingly positive critical and fan response to Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake has been a significant boost. Despite substantial changes from the original, the remake exceeded expectations. However, Bloober Team acknowledges the initial doubts surrounding their involvement and is committed to proving their capabilities beyond a single success.

At the October 16th Xbox Partner Preview, the studio 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 Cronos' development 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 the initial skepticism they faced, emphasizing their underdog status in securing the Silent Hill project.

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 publicly requested patience from fans during development.

Ultimately, Bloober Team achieved a Metacritic score of 86. "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. 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 surpass their previous titles, Layers of Fear and Observer, which had more limited gameplay. Zieba stated, "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 Silent Hill 2 remake, they are confident 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.'"

"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."