Silent Hill 2 Remake to Showcase Evolved Development

Bloober Team, riding high on the success of their Silent Hill 2 remake, is determined to prove their recent achievements weren't a fluke. This article explores their next project and their vision for the future.

Bloober Team's Continued Ascent

Building Confidence and Demonstrating Growth

The overwhelmingly positive critical and fan reception of Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake has been a significant boost. Despite substantial changes from the original, the remake exceeded expectations. However, the team acknowledges the initial skepticism they faced and aims to build upon this success, proving their capabilities extend beyond a single title.

At the October 16th Xbox Partner Preview, Bloober Team unveiled their next horror game, Cronos: The New Dawn. Game Designer Wojciech Piejko emphasized a departure from their Silent Hill 2 work, stating to Gamespot, "We don't want to make a similar game." 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 being the "first." He highlighted the initial doubt surrounding their involvement in the Silent Hill project, given their lack of prior experience in the survival horror genre.

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 company even publicly requested patience from fans during development.

Ultimately, Bloober Team delivered, achieving an 86 Metacritic score. Piejko noted, "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."

Evolution: Bloober Team 3.0

Piejko positions Cronos: The New Dawn, featuring a time-traveling protagonist called The Traveler 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 aims to surpass their previous work, such as Layers of Fear and Observer, which had more limited gameplay mechanics. 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 a pivotal moment, representing "Bloober Team 3.0." Encouraged by the positive reception to the Cronos reveal trailer and the Silent Hill 2 remake's success, they are optimistic about their future.

Zieba's ambition is to solidify Bloober Team's reputation 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."