Bloober Team Shares 9 Uncanny Facts About The Medium

To hype up excitement for The Medium prior to its release on January 28, developer Bloober Team has been releasing a host of new promotional content for the game. Today, we’ve seen the first 18 minutes of gameplay for The Medium, and now Bloober Team has shared “9 Uncanny Facts” about the game that are well worth checking out. 

Bloober Team Shares 9 Uncanny Facts About The Medium

In a video titled “The Medium – 9 Uncanny Facts” gamers can learn a few interesting pieces of information about the game. For example, one of these facts notes that the abandoned Niwa hotel you explore is based on a real hotel in Poland, one you can view on Google Maps if you like. 

It also confirms that Troy Baker serves as the voice of The Maw. Given the embargo, we’re limited in what we can add to these shared facts. Having played the game ourselves, all we’ll say is that Troy Baker does an excellent job as The Maw. 

We look forward to hearing what gamers think about the game after it’s released on January 28. At that time, it’ll be available via Xbox Game Pass, so even if you still aren’t fully sold on the idea of the game, if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription, there’s no harm in checking it out and seeing what the game is all about. 

Below, we’ve provided a quick recap of the “9 Uncanny Facts” shared by Bloober Team in their latest video for you to review, and at the bottom of the article, we’ve embedded the video itself which you can watch in full for some intriguing behind-the-scenes shots of the game’s development. 

The Medium – 9 Uncanny Facts 

• Uncanny Fact #1: The core idea of The Medium and two simultaneous worlds started back in 2012. The game was initially to be released on Wii U, Xbox 360, and PS3. Although it was pretty much a different game back then, you can still find mentions of the game online, with the announcement in a form of actual postcards still floating on the internet. 

• Uncanny Fact #2: Two key characters of the game, Marianne and the nameless man bent on revenge have been based on famous Polish actors. Weronika Rosati, who you will see in Never Gonna Snow Again, helped design Marianne. The man uses the likeness of Marcin Dorocinski, you can recognize as Vasily Borgov from the Netflix original series The Queen’s Gambit. 

• Uncanny Fact #3: The Medium is somewhat of a reunion tour of the Silent Hill dream team band. The game’s soundtrack is co-created with Silent Hill’s main composer Akira Yamaoka. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn makes a return on vocals while Troy Baker plays the character of The Maw. 

• Uncanny Fact #4: The Medium takes you to an abandoned hotel called Niwa. Although the name has been changed for the game, the place does exist. Its real name is Hotel Cracovia, and it is located in the city center of Krakow, Poland. The developers wanted to give it a 1-to-1 rendition, so they went and explored the place to carefully recreate its atmosphere. You can take a look at it on Google Maps in case you want to visit the place before the game is released. 

• Uncanny Fact #5: Marianne’s home, where the game starts, is located in a real apartment building in Krakow, Poland, near Matejko Square. Curiously, the same building, or rather what it will be like in 2084, can also be found in Bloober Team’s previous release, Observer: System Redux. 

• Uncanny Fact #6: All the cutscenes were mocked and recorded by lead developers and meant as precise references for the motion capture actors. These mock-ups proved invaluable when the pandemic hit and the proper recording sessions had to be directed remotely. For the mocap sessions of The Maw, Bloober Team hired an actor walking on stilts to better depict the creature’s towering posture. All in all, the game has around 90 minutes of cutscenes within an 8-10 hour long game with some of the cutscenes using the Dual Reality mechanic so you can watch the events unfold from two different perspectives. 

• Uncanny Fact #7: You can check the level of your spirit energy by looking at Marianne’s arm. This is one of the ways the developers wanted to make the game’s UI as minimal as they can so that players can immerse in The Medium’s world as much as possible. 

• Uncanny Fact #8: The game takes place in an abandoned communist resort, so naturally there are quite a few mentions and objects in the game connected to that era including a wrecked Maluch, a cult classic Polish tiny car, now valued by fans of retro automobiles. 

• Uncanny Fact #9: The Medium hides a lot of secrets, pop culture references, and Easter Eggs. You can find allusions to Bloober Team’s previous games [like Blair Witch]. You can spot some of the developers on post stamps. Let us know what you found once you get to play the game. Happy hunting!   

After reviewing the fun facts shared by Bloober Team, one can gain greater insight into the development of The Medium and what it meant to all involved. There are personal touches throughout the game that make it truly unique and special.

Obviously we can’t say more than that due to embargo, but we encourage you to stay tuned as we’ll be posting a full review later this week along with features breaking down in-game references, ones that we think you’ll find extremely interesting. 

Stay tuned, and be sure to play The Medium on either Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, or PC (available on Xbox Game Pass on release date, January 28). 

Related: Check Out The First 18 Minutes Of The Medium Gameplay