It’s been two years since the release of Horizon Forbidden West, and while fans were expecting the reveal of a third title in the series this year, they were instead met with an announcement for a remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn.
While some think that an announcement of a third game could be coming soon enough, it looks like that won’t be the immediate priority for the developers at Guerrilla Games.
Horizon Online in the Works?
Talking to the Spawn Wave podcast (via wccftech.com), Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has seemingly confirmed that the studio will prioritize a live-service game set in the world of Horizon before they come out with a third game. Schreier shared:
“Guerrilla Games is in an interesting place because they're working on this Horizon Online game that I'm not sure how many people want that, and so they've got this remaster coming and then the LEGO game coming. Part of me feels like, I wonder what happens if neither of those hit, and it turns out there isn't a ton of interest in Horizon anymore. Are they still gonna be doing the online game? I don't know. There are a lot of questions around their strategy and around that online game that I certainly have.”
So far, Horizon’s Aloy is considered one of the PlayStation franchise's new mascots. While many ‘anti-woke’ gamers critique Aloy, reviewers have been very nice to the Horizon games, and the world’s unique design of biomechanical creatures has become the series' signature.
Schreier continues:
“Horizon Online is their next project, not whatever the third single player game looks like, so that one might be a ways off. Sony's PlayStation's live service initiative was no joke. Everybody was like, it's live service games all around, and Horizon is one of the few that hasn't been canceled or hasn't come out and flopped the way Concord did. So yeah, a lot of questions there, but a lot of people are working on that online project.”
Live-Service vs. Single Player
Though Sony has been considered the champion of single-player games—like with the God of War franchise—some are still adamant that the live-service model makes money for the video game industry.
Fortnite’s longevity is a testament to that mindset. The game is already seven years old and reported more than 100 million players last holiday season. Success has also been met with live-service titles like Valorant, Overwatch 2, and Fall Out: Ultimate Knockout.
On the flip side, though, some live-service attempts have managed to crash and burn—just look at the fiasco that was Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a AAA title that was delayed to retool for live service. The launch was so poor that no release of new playable characters has been able to boost interest in the title since it launched.
Is Horizon Still Viable?
For now, the Horizon franchise is still lauded for its world-building and visuals, and an online sandbox where people can play with their friends should be interesting enough.
In the meantime, Guerrilla is gearing up for the launch of the remastered Horizon Zero Dawn for PS5 and PC. The launch is set for Oct. 31.