Horizon 3 Release Date Might Be Years Away

Leaks referencing Sony's Horizon series ambitions surfaced last year, and now Guerrilla Games has supposedly confirmed those suspicions. Aside from developing a standalone multiplayer game and a sequel to Horizon: Forbidden West, the studio has clarified that the Horizon IP will remain functional for an extended period.

According to Guerrilla Games, the studio's Horizon multiplayer game represents a huge change, comparable to the original Horizon game. The first Horizon game was such a huge change of pace, and apparently, the multiplayer spinoff will offer a similar level of difficulty; this is all about the fact that Killzone was Guerrilla Games' previous work.

Aside from Guerrilla's official statements, there have been rumors floating for the past year or so suggesting two additional Horizon games in development: a remake of the original, which is, of course, the Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered coming on PS5 and PC on October 31, and a standalone Horizon MMO game set in the same universe. The standalone massively multiplayer online game (MMO) is intriguing, but we weren't sure how the series fans would respond to a remake of a 2017 game—especially on PC—because it still looks decent.

A lot of guesswork has led to the possibility that PlayStation 6 will be Horizon 3's release platform. Fans are speculating that, according to a recent rumor, Horizon 3's release date might overlap with that of the PS6. According to some reports, Guerrilla Games is planning to focus entirely on the multiplayer game Horizon, which might mean that Aloy's third adventure is still in development.

The rumors also indicated that Horizon 3 isn't in development at the moment and claimed that Guerrilla Games is still planning to devote all of its resources to it. Given how long it takes to develop a Triple-A MMO game, it's reasonable to assume that Horizon 3 will be a next-gen release.

Since Horizon: Forbidden West is a cross-platform game, some speculate that Horizon 3 might be released on both the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 6. While we're unclear whether the game is still in development, a cross-gen release might not be feasible at launch. That much is clear: the time it takes to make AAA games gradually increases. Considering the PS5 is already four years old, it's not out of the question that a game from a large company that hasn't yet begun development would be launched on the PS6.

I'm certainly interested in seeing how Sony manages its first-party MMO. I'm also curious to see if the game will be available on PC alongside the PS5. Since MMOs are undoubtedly the most popular on PC, it would be strange if Sony invested heavily in an MMO based on one of its biggest IPs and didn't make it available on Steam on day one. Considering how Ubisoft has learned from their mistakes, I suppose only time will tell about Sony's decision about Horizon 3 getting a day-one Steam launch.

There were concerns about why Sony was investing so much time into this series, and honestly, I get where they're coming from. The first Horizon game, Horizon Zero Dawn, was such a great sales success, but it's not exactly a game that people view as phenomenal or groundbreaking. While it was a decent game, 2017 had its fair share of superior open-world titles.

The same thing happened with Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel: it did well in sales and had generally positive reviews, but most gamers agreed that the formula didn't call for any major development in the series. While well-made, the game lacks the charm and immersion of competing open-world titles.

Sony appears to be quite sure that they'll invest this much in bringing the franchise to MMO. It seems unusual to me, and I think a lot of other players feel the same way, that Sony would invest so much in a Horizon game while leaving other intellectual properties, like Infamous and Resistance, untouched and neglected.

The Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered is still causing some controversy; as anticipated, it essentially uses the images from Forbidden West but reimagines them for Zero Dawn. Of course, it will be compatible with the PS5's Tempest engine, and feature enhanced audio and dual-send capabilities. With PS5 Pro support, it might look even better. One neat thing Sony did was re-record all the motion capture and facial animation for all the chat scenes, side missions included, totaling over 10 hours.

Though it's an unusually extensive remaster, and if you already own the game on PlayStation, you can upgrade for just $10. The Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is compatible with your original save file, which is really good. Guerrilla Games is trying their best to avoid dissatisfaction. That being said, most of this is aimed at those who have never played the original and may be interested after playing the Lego game released on November 14. The curse, like Horizon and release dates, never ends. However, as a true fan of Horizon, I eagerly anticipate what comes next.