PlayStation is rebooting Horizon Hunters Gathering to be a traditional co-op game and not a live-service thing

A new report on first-party PlayStation live-service game Horizon Hunters Gathering sheds new light on the troubled project. Announced earlier this year as a new multiplayer game set in the Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West universe from franchise creator Guerrilla Games, the Fortnite-style visuals and co-op action didn't exactly garner a lot of positivity from PlayStation fans after its unveiling.

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According to a new report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, during a recent private test with players, Horizon Hunters Gathering received "poor feedback." So much so that Sony and Guerrilla Games have apparently decided to strip the game of its live-service elements and retool it into a story-driven co-op game with a smaller scope. On top of that, they're continuing development with a much smaller team than what was originally assigned to the project.

As live service games require continuous content updates through expansions, new characters, and seasonal events, it sounds like the player feedback was so bad that both Sony and Guerrilla Games have decided that it's not worth the investment or risk. Especially after the high-profile failures or less-than-expected performance of the company's recent live-service efforts like Concord and Bungie's Marathon.

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Not to mention the fact that Sony has also canceled development on live-service projects in The Last of Us, Marvel's Spider-Man, and God of War franchises. "For the last few years, PlayStation has poured resources into so-called live-service games, online titles that are continually updated and expanded with new content and can be monetized long after they are released," Jason Schreier writes. "The initiative at PlayStation has mostly led to canceled projects and shuttered studios, forcing the Japanese gaming giant to pull back from plans to release more than a dozen live-service games this decade."

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Question #1

Why did PlayStation and Guerrilla Games decide to remove live-service elements from Horizon Hunters Gathering?

According to a Bloomberg report cited in the article, Horizon Hunters Gathering received "poor feedback" during a recent private player test, prompting Sony and Guerrilla Games to strip out its live-service elements and reconceive it as a smaller, story-driven co-op game. The decision was also influenced by the high cost and risk of live-service development and recent disappointing or canceled PlayStation live-service efforts such as Concord and other franchise projects.

Answered

Question #2

What changes are being made to Horizon Hunters Gathering’s scope and design?

PlayStation and Guerrilla Games are stripping Horizon Hunters Gathering of its live-service elements and retooling it as a story-driven co-op game with a smaller scope. Development will continue with a much smaller team than originally assigned.

Answered

Question #3

How will development team size for Horizon Hunters Gathering change compared to the original staffing?

Development will shift to a much smaller team than was originally assigned to the project. Previously the majority of Guerrilla Games was working on Horizon Hunters Gathering, but Sony and Guerrilla have scaled back to a much smaller development team, leaving only a "tiny team" to work on the next single-player Horizon game.

Answered

Question #4

Does the report mention other PlayStation live-service projects that were canceled or scaled back?

Yes. The report cites other recent PlayStation live-service setbacks, naming Concord and Bungie’s Marathon as high-profile failures and noting Sony canceled live-service projects in The Last of Us, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and God of War franchises. It also says PlayStation’s live-service initiative has mostly led to canceled projects, shuttered studios, and a pullback from plans to release more than a dozen live-service games this decade.

Answered

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In addition to Horizon Hunters Gathering changing course with the smaller team, the report notes that the majority of Guerrilla Games was working on the title, leaving a "tiny team" to work on the next single-player Horizon game. With the second game in the series, Horizon Forbidden West, ending on a narrative cliffhanger, it seems that players will need to wait several years before they get to experience the closing or next chapter in protagonist Aloy's story.