Konami Releases Official Remake of Silent Hill 2

Bloober Team: From Silent Hill Success to Cronos: The New Dawn

Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 Remake has been met with overwhelmingly positive reception, prompting the studio to aim for continued success with their next project. This isn't just about capitalizing on their newfound success; it's about proving their capabilities and silencing past doubters.

Building on the positive momentum, Bloober Team unveiled their upcoming horror title, Cronos: The New Dawn, during the Xbox Partner Preview on October 16th. This new game marks a departure from their recent work. Game Designer Wojciech Piejko emphasized a conscious effort to avoid replicating the Silent Hill 2 experience, stating in a Gamespot interview, "We don't want to make a similar game." Development on Cronos began in 2021, following 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 the initial skepticism surrounding their involvement in the Silent Hill project, emphasizing their underdog status and the pressure to deliver a quality survivor-horror experience. The team's success, resulting in an 86 Metacritic score, is a testament to their resilience and skill. 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."

Bloober Team 3.0: A New Era

Cronos: The New Dawn aims to showcase Bloober Team's ability to create compelling original IPs. Players will take on the role of "The Traveler," navigating between past and future to alter a dystopian timeline ravaged by pandemic and mutants. The experience gained from the Silent Hill 2 Remake has been instrumental in the development of Cronos, allowing Bloober Team to evolve beyond their earlier titles like Layers of Fear and Observer, which had comparatively simpler gameplay mechanics. Zieba notes, "the basis [for Cronos] when we started in pre-production was there [thanks to] the Silent Hill team."

The Silent Hill 2 Remake is considered a pivotal moment, marking the studio's evolution into "Bloober Team 3.0." The positive reception to the Cronos reveal trailer further bolsters their confidence. Zieba expressed the studio's commitment to 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." Piejko added, "We gathered a team that loves horror...and we don't want to [switch genres]."