Horizon 3 is still a long way off, according to a well-known industry insider. While the trio was teased years ago, it's now understood to be taking a backseat to Guerrilla Games' newly announced games Horizon cooperative title.
Guerilla teased at first Horizon 3 back in April 2023, shortly after release Horizon Call of the Mountain. At the time, a blog post from the Dutch studio confirmed that the company would be expanding Horizon universe with “Aloy's next adventure” and a standalone “online project”. Almost three years later, this online project was announced in form Gathering of Horizon Hunterscooperative action game for up to three players. However, Horizon 3 still nowhere to be seen.
Horizon 3 is all but confirmed to continue the trend of splitting the series
Guerrilla Games' upcoming Horizon 3 may continue to feature a divisive aspect from the new Horizon Forbidden West factions and machines.
Most guerilla games are said to be focused on Horizon Hunters Gathering
As things currently stand, Horizon 3 an announcement won't be coming anytime soon. That's according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, a journalist with a long tradition of reliable insight into the workings of various SIE studies. Speaking at Bluesky on February 5, Schreier said that to the best of his knowledge, most Guerrilla Games are currently focused on Gathering of Horizon Hunters. In response to the supplementary question whether Horizon 3 is still a long way off under the circumstances, Schreier replied affirmatively.
Reveal's Horizon Hunters Gathering is polarizing fans
A revelation that Gathering of hunters essentially diverts development resources from Horizon 3 will likely be met with disappointment among some fans, especially given the mixed reactions to the recent reveal of co-op play. On major social media platforms and in the comments section of the official Sony PlayStation Blog, many users expressed their skepticism Gathering of Horizon Hunters. Concerns cited include fatigue with live service games and concern that Sony was moving another traditionally single-player studio towards multiplayer development, especially after PlayStation's numerous recent failures in the live service segment.
“I legitimately don't think there is a single Horizon fan on the planet who would prefer this Fortnite knockoff to another mainline title,” wrote one Reddit user in response to Schreier's recent comments. Another voiced stronger criticism, stating that “any game with a live service eats up money, time and staff that could be used to make games that are actually worthwhile, not just easy money games”. Other complaints currently circulating online focus on the game's departure from the series' typical photorealistic art style towards a more stylized aesthetic, as well as concerns about the project's potential impact on game development. Horizon 3— concerns that Schreier's latest findings appear to support.
The Horizon Co-Op game also generated positive buzz
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Public skepticism aside, not all online reactions to Gathering of Horizon Hunters were negative. Some fans described the basic premise of co-op machines as promising and said they were intrigued by the prospect of Monster Hunter– like Horizon game. Others praised Guerrilla's early confirmation of features such as crossplay, cross-progression and the ability to play solo.
Horizon 3 most likely won't be released before the PlayStation 6
Since Guerrilla focused on Gathering of huntersthis seems unlikely Horizon 3 will be ready for release in the next few years. As a result, the next major entry in the post-apocalyptic franchise will most likely arrive during the PlayStation 6 generation. Until recently, the PS6 was rumored to be targeting a late 2027 release. However, the recent RAM shortage – which has driven up memory prices across all major supply chains – may prompt Sony to delay the next generation of consoles until 2028 or later, waiting for component costs to stabilize. Meanwhile, Guerrilla has some unanswered questions Gathering of Horizon Hunters to address. For example, the developer has yet to provide any details on the game's price or expected launch window.
Source: Cynical_onlooker / Reddit, NaitDraik / Reddit
