Originally scheduled for December 10, before a certain major RPG release took that date, The Medium is one of the most anticipated titles of the first quarter of 2021, being one of the first big console exclusives for Xbox Series X. The game was announced during Microsoft's Xbox Series X gameplay reveal event back in May from Blair Witch and Observer: System Redux developer Bloober Team as a Series X/S and PC exclusive horror game, which has since been delayed to January 28, 2021. Today, the developer revealed a mysterious new character who will be featured in The Medium.
Bloober Team previously previewed the game's protagonist, Marianne, a spirit medium who can travel between realities, as well as the game's villain, a demonic entity named The Maw, voiced by Troy Baker. The game takes advantage of the Xbox Series X's SSD by streaming two game worlds simultaneously, allowing players to solve puzzles by traveling between the real world and a "spiritual world" based on the works of Polish artist Zdzisław Beksiński.
The newest character revealed for the game is based on Polish actor Marcin Dorociński, who most recently appeared in Netflix's The Queen's Gambit. The character's name has not yet been revealed, as Bloober Team intends to reveal his name "when the time is right," implying that the character's name may not be revealed in any of The Medium's pre-release material. The character presumes a villainous role, as the trailer's description reads "The Maw turns out to not be the only bloodthirsty monster out there."
Very little is known about The Medium's plot, other than the fact that the game is set in 1990s Poland and follows Marianne as she travels to an abandoned hotel with the hopes of discovering the secrets behind a tragedy she experienced years beforehand. If that synopsis rings any bells it's because Bloober Team has been very vocal about the game's influences from Konami's Silent Hill series, with the game even enlisting legendary series composer Akira Yamaoka as one of the game's main composers, as well as reuniting Yamaoka with Silent Hill soundtrack vocalist Mary Elizabeth McGlynn for a track together.
The Medium was originally announced for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U in 2012, however, the developer internally halted production of the game with the intention of continuing development when better console technology was available. Now, two generations later, The Medium is finally gearing up for release in early 2021 after a delay from its original December 10, 2020, release after fellow Polish game developer CD Projekt Red announced that Cyberpunk 2077 would release on that same date. The Mediumwill also be part of Xbox Game Pass upon its release.
The Medium will release on Xbox Series X/S and PC on January 28th 2021.