Horizon Hunters Gathering, a live-service spin-off of Guerilla Games' Horizon series, is reportedly undergoing a significant overhaul following negative feedback during private testing earlier this year. According to a report from Bloomberg, the developer is now planning to remove the live-service elements and pivot the game towards a more traditional cooperative multiplayer experience that includes a story mode and a reduced scope.
The report cites anonymous sources familiar with the game's development. While PlayStation has not officially commented on the report, and Game Informer's requests for comment are pending, the allegations suggest a substantial change in direction for the project. Sources indicate that the development team has until December to demonstrate progress on the revised vision to executives. Furthermore, many developers working on Hunters Gathering are being reassigned to different projects that will be evaluated at the end of the year.
This potential pivot for Horizon Hunters Gathering represents a departure from Sony's recent struggles in the live-service market. Despite being renowned for its critically acclaimed single-player titles, PlayStation has seen limited success in its attempts to break into the online live-service genre throughout the 2020s. Previous multiplayer spin-off projects, including those related to God of War, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us, were canceled before their official unveilings. Concord notably ceased operations less than a week after its launch.
While PlayStation's single-player offerings continue to perform well, fans of the Horizon series may face a longer wait for their next traditional single-player installment. The Bloomberg report suggests that the majority of the team that worked on Horizon Forbidden West is currently focused on Hunters Gathering, rather than progressing on the next mainline entry. A small team is reportedly working on initial plans for the next single-player Horizon game, but its completion is estimated to be several years away.