Bloober CEO: creating a ‘safe,’ sustainable workplace takes priority in studio leadership

Renowned game creator Bloober Team finds itself at a pivotal crossroads. Riding the wave of significant and commercial triumph from the remake of Konami’s Silent Hill 2, the studio is deeply engaged in finalizing work on Cronos: The Modern Crack of Dawn, an ambitious time-bending survival horror game of a magnitude far greater than any of their previous beloved titles. It has expanded to over 250 developers and now stands alongside major triple-A studios, which are investing 4-5 years into each development cycle.

Veteran developers recognize that this represents a particularly challenging moment for companies producing single-player games. A key factor behind the significant layoffs in the game industry over the past year has been a string of missteps at studios that expanded too quickly after achieving success with popular titles. Unfortunately, secure cash flow and healthy financial reserves are not always sufficient to guarantee stability.

Nonetheless, stability is what CEO Piotr Babieno expresses as his goal. In a discussion with Game Developer at the 2025 Game Developers Conference, the head of the studio known for crafting games featuring characters grappling with psychological issues shared some insights about leading a balanced business model.

“The most crucial aspect,” he stated, “is to foster a secure environment. Every decision I make is not solely based on whether the company is performing well, but also on whether we can care for the 250 individuals in the studio and their families.”

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It is a concerning message to hear from a CEO in 2025, a time when many are choosing to talk about going all-in on AI or publicly chastising their own teams about their games not possessing an “edge.” So what, exactly, does Babieno define as a “genuine environment?

Maintaining your studio ‘genuine’ is a major challenge

The term “genuine” takes on an entirely new meaning for a Polish game studio in the 2020s. Not only are the usual hurdles of game development a daily burden, but, like many, Bloober had to learn the realities of remote game development during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the country is anxiously monitoring developments from across the border in neighboring Ukraine, where Russia’s invasion raises fears of a broader response that could involve NATO. With development cycles for games like Silent Hill 2 and the forthcoming Cronos: The Modern Crack of Dawn extending roughly five years, the decisions Babieno makes have far-reaching consequences.

Russia’s invasion seems to weigh heavily on Babieno’s mind, who pointed out that Bloober employs developers from both Russia and Ukraine—many of whom had to relocate due to the war’s conditions. The studio was also among the first to publicly halt the sales of its games in Russia—not out of animosity towards the Russian populace, according to Babieno, but because the company did not want to contribute tax revenues to the government’s funds that could support its invasion.

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“Video games should ideally bring us together rather than create [dividers] between nations or among fans,” he remarked. “I genuinely believe we are doing everything possible to support our fans worldwide, but we can never endorse those who are destroying our planet and perpetrating horrors greater than what we can portray [in our games].”

However, this is genuinely a significant challenge. Daily, Babieno mentioned he’s grappling with the same issues many developers in his studio (and worldwide) contend with: self-imposed crunch. “I am not a model example,” he confessed, explaining the urge to work longer hours out of “passion” for a project. “We’re striving to support our team as much as possible, and often will extend the development time if necessary to create a quality game.”

Bloober also reportedly connects staff with psychologists within and outside the company for mental health support (and considering their games revolve around psychological horror, perhaps some consulting on the topic), but Babieno conveyed that consistent messaging about “having your personal life” is the “first” step in establishing that environment.

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Regarding the portrayal of mental health in video games—we have heard from developers over the years that often examining real-world experiences, be they
physical or psychological, can often carry a strong emotional impact on its audience. Babieno noted that he hasn’t seen such occurrences at Bloober, partly because the studio is intentional about the subjects it explores. “When we’re developing a new title, there is always the question of ‘what do we want to contribute to the conversation?'” he remarked, emphasizing that these subjects are designed to foster a “judgment-free” dialogue among the team.

It is the “planning” phase that Babieno seemed to reference more than once during our conversation. If you wish to gain a deeper understanding of the firm launching Cronos: The New Dawn in 2025, you should look back… to 2019.

Cronos illustrates the strategic expansion of Bloober’s workforce

Tracking the evolution of Bloober’s lineup from 2015 through Cronos reveals a notable increase in game scope, transitioning from Layers of Fear, to Observer, beyond The Medium, and all the way through Silent Hill 2. This was intentional, Babieno explained, following a strategic commitment in 2015 to focus on horror video games. When the company had fewer employees, it concentrated on narrative-driven experiences enhanced by environmental storytelling, gradually increasing to include more action and player navigation, now evident in the combat-focused Cronos.

“Because of this, it was a natural progression to expand the team and broaden the scope of our games,” he mentioned, adding that the studio has garnered “more fans” as a result. He echoed a common sentiment shared by both indie and AAA studios, that the company aims to create high-quality games, not just to generate profit. It appears the firm conveys to its employees that they need to make strong decisions as early as possible, since once they do, they’re committing to a long-term endeavor that is difficult to reverse.

“When we’re discussing what comes next, it has to be something we would want to work on for the next five years… to dedicate a significant part of our lives to creating something extraordinary.”

Such significant decisions can involve aspects as fundamental as setting. Cronos is the second game from Bloober set in the studio’s native Poland, a decision that may not seem so unusual in 2025, but Babieno noted that initially, it was a quite risky choice when trying to create a game that would appeal to a global audience. “That was the discussion within the Polish gaming industry,” he remembered. “That we shouldn’t make games in Poland because they won’t sell, especially when compared to games set in the US.”

Developers in other regions may feel inspired by Babieno’s comments, as he highlighted that the “act locally and think globally” approach has been beneficial. Developers at the studio have the opportunity to be “authentic” to their homeland while also embracing the “belief” of gamers who are willing to trust that they can be unique enough to explore new forms of horror in a place they may never have visited.

He suggested the idea that Bloober might create a game set in San Francisco (which itself faces the challenges of the tech industry), but it likely wouldn’t be as authentic as one crafted by locals in the US.

None of what Babieno discussed in our interaction should be considered simple or straightforward. It is common knowledge that in today’s market, merely creating an acceptable game isn’t really enough to sustain a business, and while you can claim “we don’t crunch” as part of your company values all you want, you might wake up one day only to find that your entire team has been working excessively.