Silent Hill 2 Remake Devs Want to Prove That They've Evolved

Bloober Team's successful Silent Hill 2 Remake has fueled their ambition to prove their capabilities extend beyond a single achievement. This article delves into their future plans and their journey toward solidifying their reputation.

Bloober Team's Redemption Arc: Building Trust and Showing Their Mettle

The overwhelmingly positive reception to their Silent Hill 2 Remake has been a significant boost for Bloober Team. Despite the substantial changes from the original, fans and critics alike lauded the result. However, the team hasn't forgotten the initial skepticism they faced. Their goal now is to leverage this renewed trust and demonstrate they're not a one-hit wonder.

At the Xbox Partner Preview on October 16th, Bloober Team unveiled their next horror title, Cronos: The New Dawn. Game Designer Wojciech Piejko, in an interview with Gamespot, emphasized their desire to avoid simply replicating their Silent Hill success, stating, "We don't want to make a similar game." 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 their "second punch" in a two-hit combo, with the Silent Hill 2 Remake being the "first." He highlighted their underdog status, acknowledging the initial doubts surrounding their ability to handle such a beloved franchise. Zieba reflected, "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's earlier plea for fan patience underscores the pressure they faced.

Ultimately, Bloober Team exceeded expectations, achieving an 86 Metacritic score. As 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."

Bloober Team 3.0: Evolution and 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 individuals and alter a dystopian future ravaged by pandemic and mutants.

Bloober Team leverages the experience gained from the Silent Hill 2 Remake to evolve beyond their earlier titles like Layers of Fear and Observer, which featured less intricate 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 their transformation into "Bloober Team 3.0." Encouraged by the positive reception to the Cronos reveal trailer and the success of the Silent Hill 2 Remake, Piejko expresses optimism about their evolving reputation.

Zieba's vision for Bloober Team is clear: to be recognized as a leading horror studio, having found their niche. He explains, "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."