Bloober Team’s Mystery Switch Game Is a Reminder of Nintendo’s Biggest Genre Oversight

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Nintendo consoles have always appealed to a wide range of players, with many people first experiencing gaming through classics like Mario and Pikachu. Though some Nintendo games have spooky elements, the company rarely releases dedicated horror titles – particularly ones you can’t find anywhere else. While fans remember the unsettling atmosphere of games like Eternal Darkness, Nintendo isn’t generally known for the horror genre.

Things might be shifting soon, thanks to Bloober Team. Known for their well-received games like their take on Silent Hill and unsettling titles such as Cronos: The New Dawn, they’ve been secretly developing a new game for Nintendo. This project has the potential to significantly expand the range of games available on the Switch 2. It could be a bold move for Nintendo, a company traditionally known for family-friendly and adventure games, and could even open the door for them to explore the horror genre – an area where they haven’t historically excelled.

Bloober Team Is Bringing Horror Back To Nintendo

Bloober Team, the developers behind several horror games, is collaborating with Nintendo on a new, currently unnamed project – known internally as Project M. The game is planned as a Nintendo Switch and potentially Switch 2 exclusive. According to Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno, the game is still early in development, but it’s designed to appeal to fans of classic horror titles like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Limbo, and Eternal Darkness. He suggests players who enjoy those games will likely enjoy this one. This is exciting news, and a good reminder of how highly regarded Nintendo’s Eternal Darkness remains among horror game fans.

This also highlights how few truly original horror games Nintendo consoles have seen. Eternal Darkness was so memorable partly because it was so different from what people expected from Nintendo. While Nintendo has released some decent horror titles, they’ve generally favored games like Luigi’s Mansion over more intense experiences like Resident Evil 4.

Eventually, those games also became popular on other consoles. Bloober Team has recently released Cronos: The New Dawn and Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition on the Switch 2, hinting at future collaborations with the publisher. There’s also speculation that the Silent Hill 2 remake might be coming to the Switch 2 as well.

Bloober Team’s Nintendo Comments Highlight Their Biggest IP’s Great Horror Potential

In a recent interview, Babieno suggested that Nintendo’s popular franchises could be successfully reimagined with a stronger horror focus. He specifically expressed his fondness for the game Eternal Darkness and would love to see a similar style explored further. He also proposed that a horror-themed Metroid game or a darker, more suspenseful take on The Legend of Zelda could be incredibly compelling, noting that both series have touched on horror elements before, making his ideas feel particularly promising.

Both the chilling SA-X from Metroid Fusion and the unsettling environments in the Metroid Prime series demonstrate the franchise’s potential for darker, more atmospheric storytelling. A full-fledged horror game could draw inspiration from titles like Alien: Isolation. Similarly, The Legend of Zelda has always hinted at horror elements, featuring creepy enemies like ReDeads and games like Majora’s Mask that playfully experiment with the genre. A future Zelda game could fully embrace this darker side, perhaps even delving into lesser-explored, more frightening parts of the series’ overall history.

Nintendo hasn’t quite tapped into the full potential of horror games, as even their spookier titles usually focus more on action and adventure—with Eternal Darkness being a notable exception. But with Bloober Team planning to bring more horror experiences to the next Switch, Nintendo could have a real opportunity to fully embrace the genre and try some new things.

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2025-12-30 00:12