Cronos: The New Dawnhas finally been given a release window amid its developers' recent success.Cronosis the planned next title by Bloober Team, the studio behind the recentSilent Hill 2remake. Putting its plannedfuture Konami collaborationson the back burner, it looks like Bloober will focus on a completely original IP next.
Cronos: The New Dawnwill now be released sometime in 2025, as was revealed during a recent Xbox Partner Preview. In an interview withGameSpot, director/producer Jacek Zieba claims that Bloober is leaving its checkered past behind, saying, “Okay, we made some s****y games before, but we [can] evolve.” With a new focus on original IP and the proven success of theSilent Hill 2remake behind it, Bloober appears to be turning over a new leaf.
After Silent Hill 2 Remake, There’s An Obvious Choice For Bloober’s Next Game
Bloober Team defied expectations and released a compelling remake of the classic Silent Hill 2, meaning there’s an obvious route for its next project.
Much like Bloober’s other output,Cronosis a third-person survival horror game, this time set in a grim, post-apocalyptic future. It appears to have a greater focus on combat than theSilent Hill 2remake, as players scour a wasteland filled with bloodthirsty zombies. They’ll occasionally find portals that return them to 1980s Poland, where they hope to better understand the cataclysmic event that brought about their terrible present.
Silent Hill 2 Remake Breathes New Life Into Franchise & More
A Pitch-Perfect Revival
Despite initial concerns about Bloober’s handling of the source material,theSilent Hill 2remake has been a major critical success. With a score of 86 onMetacriticat the time of writing, it’s generally been hailed as a faithful adaptation, capturing much of what players loved about the originalSH2without changing its emotional core. It received an 8/10 score in itsreview onScreen Rant.
Once known for its budget titles on the Nintendo DS, and a critically pannedBombermanclone,Basement Crawl,Bloober Team has not always been synonymous with success. It eventually found its niche in the horror genre with the release ofLayers of Fearin 2016, but still has yet to totally shake that bad reputation. It’s gained some acclaim for putting out simple, yet evocative walking simulators likeLayers of Fear, but further evolved its formula inThe Medium. For the first time, one of its horror games featured effective combat alongside a carefully crafted atmosphere, laying the groundwork forSilent Hill 2.
It’s Not Too Late For A Silent Hill 2 Sequel
More than one of Silent Hill 2’s multiple endings contain the potential for James’ journey to continue in new ways, and now’s the best time for it.
Now, in much the same way,Bloober’sSilent Hill 2remake has laid the groundwork for its next game. Its basis in a familiar series has helped propel it to near-instant critical and commercial success, and proven that Bloober Team is here to stay. Fans of the genre are waiting breathlessly for Bloober’s next release, and it’s taken this opportunity to push itself again, in an attempt to prove that its original concepts are as strong as its remakes.
Our Take: How Remakes Can Help Bring Back Old & New Feelings To Fans
“Keeping This Franchise Alive”
Although there’s plenty of demand for an originalSilent Hillgame,the remake is the next best thing, and could be the first step toward a wider franchise revival. One Reddit user,M0reeni, called it “the most important release in terms of keeping this franchise alive.”
There’s plenty of truth to this, especially considering how long theSilent Hillfranchise has been effectively dead. The success of theSilent Hill 2remake suggests that the series does have a place in the modern gaming industry, and with a little effort, could hold up to a full-scale revival. Another player,SAUCEmagic, suggests that the remake has set the bar for all new survival horror games going forward.
It’s still not a new game, but it could be a prelude to one. Often, when reviving a long-dead series, a developer may want to prove its viability before it charges ahead. That’s what theSilent Hill 2remake is, for both the series and for Bloober as a whole: a proof of concept. It’s already opened the way for more Bloober-Konami collaborations in the future, and has reignited passion and enthusiasm forCronos: The New Dawn.
Sources:GameSpot,Metacritic,M0reeni/Reddit,SAUCEmagic/Reddit
Cronos: The New Dawn
Set in a dystopian 1980s Poland, a brutalist landscape serves as the backdrop for a terrifying time-travel survival horror experience. Players must navigate a post-apocalyptic world while battling grotesque creatures and using retro-futurist technology to survive. With a dark, twisting narrative, the game challenges players to confront terrifying choices across multiple timelines.
