Sony is reportedly exploring a return for its dormant first-person shooter franchise, Killzone. According to MP1st, the company is in the early stages of development for a new entry in the series, with Bulletstorm and Outriders developer People Can Fly possibly attached as a co-developer.
The nature of this new Killzone project is unclear, with reports suggesting it could be either a remake or a remaster. The original Killzone, released on PlayStation 2 in 2004, is considered a likely candidate for such a revival.
Guerrilla Games, the original studio behind Killzone, shifted its focus to the Horizon franchise following the success of Horizon Zero Dawn in 2017. While the studio has found significant success with its post-apocalyptic robot dinosaur series, Killzone maintains a dedicated fanbase eager for its return. Reports indicate that Guerrilla Games is currently involved in rebooting its Horizon multiplayer spinoff, Hunters Gathering, and that the studio will transition to the Killzone project once that task is complete.
There are also indications that a smaller team within Guerrilla is working on the next main Horizon single-player installment, though it is expected to be years away from release. A Killzone remake or remaster could serve as a stepping stone for PlayStation to potentially reintroduce the series with a completely new title in the future.
Killzone has been absent from consoles since the PlayStation 4 launch title, Killzone Shadow Fall, with its presence largely limited to minor references such as a T-shirt in The Last of Us Part 2: Remastered and a crossover in Helldivers 2. Guerrilla Games art director Roy Postma previously stated in 2024 that the studio had moved on from Killzone, preferring the brighter aesthetic of Horizon. He described the Horizon world as having a wider appeal due to its themes of found family and self-discovery, contrasting it with the darker, more violent tone of Killzone.