Guerrilla Games Revamping Horizon Hunters Gathering

Recent reports have surfaced suggesting that Guerrilla Games is in the process of rebooting and reworking Horizon Hunters Gathering. The studio is said to be removing core live service elements and transitioning to a more traditional co-op adventure format and story mode.

According to information shared by Jason Schreier on Bloomberg, Guerrilla Games initiated this reboot in June. This decision came in response to negative feedback received regarding the initial version of the game that was announced in February and during private testing sessions. Sources close to Schreier have revealed that developers have until December to achieve a new milestone with the project and impress executives with the quality of the new direction. Some team members are also being reassigned to a different project with a similar deadline.

The announcement of Horizon Hunters Gathering back in February followed years of speculation surrounding Sony and Guerrilla’s endeavors to create a Horizon multiplayer spin-off. Despite the absence of a gaming community actively demanding Sony to reconsider their stance on eliminating physical media in every trailer, the reception to Hunters Gathering was lukewarm. This was primarily attributed to the live service approach, the shift to a more cartoonish art style, and the significant departure from the aesthetic of Horizon: Zero Dawn and Forbidden West.

Initially, the development team mentioned that Hunters Gathering was still in the early stages of development and would be refined through playtests. If the recent reports are accurate, it appears that this is indeed the case. Given the numerous failures of live service games and projects within the PlayStation ecosystem, this course of action seems prudent.

One of the most notable failures in this regard is Concord. Additionally, London Studio faced closure following the cancellation of their live service project. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us multiplayer game met a similar fate, leading to a prolonged gap between main releases from the studio. Reports also suggested the development of a Spider-Man multiplayer game at Insomniac, which was eventually scrapped. Bend Studios and Bluepoint had their projects cancelled, with the latter eventually shutting down. Furthermore, projects led by Jason Blundell were axed, resulting in the closure of his studios. Bungie’s decision to halt future development of Destiny 2 and declining player counts for Marathon also serve as cautionary tales within the live service realm.

Amidst the uncertainties, Fairgames remains an enigma following the departure of studio founder Jade Raymond last year. 4:Loop, a project from Left 4 Dead creator Mike Booth, has garnered limited attention since its announcement. With the ongoing revamp of Horizon Hunters Gathering, there is hope for an engaging, enjoyable, and meaningful release from Guerrilla Games.

As of now, Helldivers 2 stands out as a positive highlight amidst the evolving landscape of live service games in the industry.

Source: Bloomberg