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

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 substantial changes from the original, the remake was well-received by both critics and fans. 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 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]." Development on Cronos began in 2021, shortly after The Medium was released.

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 with survival horror.

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 team even publicly requested patience from fans during development.

Ultimately, Bloober Team's efforts paid off, 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."

Bloober Team 3.0: Evolution and Innovation

Piejko positions Cronos: The New Dawn as a testament to their ability to create compelling original IP. 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 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 a significant turning point, representing "Bloober Team 3.0." Encouraged by the positive reception of the Cronos reveal trailer and the Silent Hill 2 remake, Piejko expresses optimism about the studio's future.

Zieba aims to establish Bloober Team firmly within the horror genre, 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," Piejko adds. "So I think, for us, it would not be easy to switch [to other genres], and we don't want to."