Slated to launch later this month on Xbox Series X and PC, The Medium is the latest game from Bloober Team, the developer behind heralded horror titles such as Layers of Fear, Observer, and Blair Witch. Pitched as a huge new addition to Game Pass and a seminal horror experience to usher in the next generation, what fans of The Medium might not know is that the game was originally intended to launch on the Xbox 360.
Speaking on the upcoming release in an interview with Game Informer, The Medium's lead designer Wojciech Piejko and producer Jacek Zięba talked at length about the original plan for the game and how the technology needed for it shifted drastically over the years. It seems the reason it didn't actually launch on the 360 or even in the earlier years of the Xbox One comes down to the ambitious nature of the project, with the pair highlighting how they needed next-generation hardware to integrate its signature dual-reality mechanic that allows the player to shift between two dimensions.
"We have two worlds, two games rendered at the same time, and previous generations just weren't that powerful," Piejko explains when discussing why next-generation hardware was so integral to The Medium. According to the designer, "new technology was like a new language, it gave us more freedom with the story itself." He goes on to highlight how the impressive hardware of the Xbox Series X means so much more than just graphical potential, claiming that "the level of detail, the freedom of physics is much higher."
It seems previous hardware simply couldn't deliver the exact experience the devs wanted, especially considering the team now has the Series X's enhanced SSD that significantly shortens loading times. It will give players the ability to hop between worlds with ease, alongside all the other technical enhancements that will ensure The Medium is Bloober Team's biggest and most ambitious release to date.
For those who haven't been following the imminent release of The Medium, the title follows Marianne: a medium with the ability to cross between the worlds of the living and the dead. Uncovering a dark mystery in an abandoned communist resort, players will have to solve puzzles, uncover unnerving secrets, and battle malevolent spirits while navigating through Bloober Team's new terrifying world. The game has already been heavily compared to the Silent Hill series, even bringing aboard the iconic horror property's former composer, Akira Yamaoka. It looks to be yet another chilling adventure from the coveted studio.
The Medium is slated to release on January 28 for PC and Xbox Series X.
Source: Game Informer (via GameSpot)