Controversial PS2 survival horror Rule of Rose absolutely deserves a remake or re-release, but Bloober Team isn’t doing it

Bloober Team Debunks Rule of Rose Remake Rumors Amid Mysterious Teaser Campaign

The internet’s collective detective work has once again proven both ingenious and incorrect, as Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno has officially quashed speculation that the studio’s mysterious teaser campaign heralds a remake of the cult classic survival horror Rule of Rose.

The Polish developer, currently riding high on anticipation for their Silent Hill 2 remake, ignited fervent speculation last month when they launched an enigmatic website at the cryptic URL “remosdneulserorehsoovamceyerd.com.” The site featured an illustration of a rose accompanied by the ominous text “some things never leave the walls. They only learn to wait,” plus a countdown timer ticking toward February 15th.

Internet sleuths quickly connected the dots: rose in the picture, “rose” in the scrambled URL (when reversed), and a beloved PS2-era horror game that’s been begging for a modern revival. It seemed like a perfect match.

“Not so fast,” Babieno stated on LinkedIn in response to coverage from Twisted Voxel. “Nice guess, but no. It definitely doesn’t refer to any remake.”

This revelation leaves the gaming community once again pondering what exactly Bloober Team has been cooking. The studio has established itself as horror specialists with titles like Layers of Fear, Blair Witch, and most recently, their high-profile Silent Hill 2 remake for Konami.

The Curious Case of Rule of Rose

While Bloober Team’s mystery project remains undisclosed, the debunked rumors have nonetheless cast a spotlight on Rule of Rose itself—a fascinating footnote in survival horror history that continues to captivate enthusiasts nearly two decades after its release.

Developed by Punchline and published by Sony in Japan (and Atlus in North America) for the PlayStation 2 in 2006, Rule of Rose is set primarily in a British orphanage during the 1930s. The game follows Jennifer, a young woman who finds herself trapped in a nightmarish world ruled by a cruel “Red Crayon Aristocrats” club of children.

What makes Rule of Rose particularly noteworthy is its troubled history and the controversy that nearly buried it entirely. European tabloid newspapers seized upon rumors of sadomasochistic content involving children, leading to the game’s cancellation in the UK and Australia. The panic was largely unfounded—the actual game contains nothing of the sort—but the damage to its commercial prospects was done.

Contemporary reviews reflected the game’s troubled development and execution. GameSpot awarded it a middling 6/10, while Edge magazine delivered a scathing 3/10. Critics universally acknowledged the game’s unique atmosphere and compelling narrative framework but lambasted its cumbersome combat, punishing difficulty, and technical shortcomings.

Yet Rule of Rose has endured precisely because of its singular vision. The game’s dreamlike quality, unsettling aesthetic, and themes exploring childhood cruelty, power dynamics, and psychological trauma set it apart from contemporaries like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Its art direction, influenced by gothic Victorian imagery and early 20th century children’s literature, created an atmosphere unlike anything else in the genre.

Modern Revival Efforts

The prospect of a Rule of Rose remake or re-release has tantalized fans for years. In 2021, Onion Games (the studio behind Moon and Stray Children) expressed interest in bringing the game to modern platforms. However, licensing complications and the original developers’ dissolution have made official re-releases challenging.

For now, emulation remains the primary way to experience Rule of Rose, though original copies command eye-watering prices on the secondary market—often exceeding $500 for complete editions.

What’s Next for Bloober?

With the Rule of Rose theory officially debunked, attention returns to deciphering Bloober Team’s actual project. The February 15th date looms large, and speculation continues to swirl about what horror property might be next for the Polish studio.

Could it be another classic revival? An original IP leveraging their horror expertise? Or perhaps something connected to their existing projects?

One thing seems certain: Bloober Team has mastered the art of building anticipation, even if their particular brand of viral marketing occasionally leads fans down garden paths lined with beautiful but misleading roses.

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