Sony has reportedly initiated a reboot of its live-service game, Horizon Hunters Gathering, due to negative feedback received during closed playtests. The multiplayer spinoff, originally conceived as a cartoony departure from Guerrilla's photorealistic Horizon series, is now slated to shed its live-service components in favor of a more traditional cooperative multiplayer experience with a story mode and a reduced scope.
Development on the reboot has been underway since June, with Guerrilla Games reportedly working to significant pressure. According to Bloomberg, the studio has until December to impress PlayStation executives with the game's progress. While not officially canceled, the project's future remains uncertain, and some staff members have been reassigned to other Guerrilla projects.
Horizon Hunters Gathering was initially announced in February, drawing comparisons to Capcom's Monster Hunter series. Game director Arjan Bak had described the game as featuring tactical, skill-based combat in three-player co-op missions, adapting Hunters for intense hunts. Two primary game modes were detailed: Machine Incursion, a high-intensity mission against waves of machines culminating in a boss fight, and Cauldron Descent, a multi-stage trial with varied encounters and challenges. The game was also planned to include a roster of playable Hunters with distinct playstyles, a roguelite perk system, and a narrative campaign that would expand the Horizon universe and remain canon post-launch. A central social hub, also named Hunters Gathering, was intended for player interaction and preparation.
This reported reboot marks another hurdle for Sony's live-service ambitions. While Helldivers 2 achieved significant success, other recent live-service endeavors from PlayStation Studios have faced cancellation or disappointing launches. Concord, a previous live-service title, was quickly taken offline and its developer shut down due to low player numbers. Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer game was also canceled, as were two unannounced live-service titles, including one from Bluepoint Games and another from Bend Studio, the developers behind Days Gone.
Sony had outlined plans in February 2022 to release over a dozen live-service games by March 2026. However, by 2023, the company revised this strategy, committing to launching only six by the end of the fiscal year 2025. Sony president Hiroki Totoki emphasized a focus on quality for gamers, stating that the company was still determining release windows for the remaining live-service titles.
External factors, including the surge in game industry growth during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic shifts, have been cited as contributing to this strategic reevaluation. The increased demand for online gaming during lockdowns led to significant investment in the live-service sector, which proved unsustainable as player habits and economic conditions evolved.
Separate from Horizon Hunters Gathering, Sony is also collaborating with NCSoft on Horizon Steel Frontiers, a mobile-focused MMORPG set within the Horizon universe, which is also slated for PC release.