PlayStation co-op spin-off Horizon Hunters Gathering is reportedly being overhauled after poor testing feedback
Guerrilla Games is reportedly stripping out the game’s live service elements
PlayStation and Guerrilla Games are reportedly in the process of reworking Horizon Hunters Gathering following poor feedback during testing.
Horizon Hunters Gathering was announced in February and was described as “a tactical co-op action game” set in the universe of Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West.
Players can play the game solo with NPCs, or with other players in co-op, and a small-scale closed playtest was set to take place at the end of February.
A new Bloomberg report, however, suggests that the game has not been performing well in private testing, and plans are now underway to overhaul it, particularly with regards to its live service features.
According to sources familiar with PlayStation‘s plans, the game’s live service component is now being stripped out, with plans to turn it into a more traditional co-op multiplayer game with a story mode and smaller scope.
Bloomberg reports that while the game has not yet been cancelled, staff were told this week that they have until December to show executives that the game should remain in active development.
“Many” of the staff assigned to Horizon Hunters Gathering will also reportedly be moved to a different project, which is also set to be evaluated at the end of this year.
Since it announced its intention to develop ten live service games back in 2022, PlayStation’s ‘Games as a Service’ mission has been marred by turbulent results. Its most high-profile misstep was the disastrous launch of 2024’s Concord, which was pulled from sale just two weeks after launch.
Sony also cancelled live service games in development at numerous studios, including Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games, with the latter being closed entirely earlier this year.
Helldivers 2 has been an exception to this, proving extremely successful, while Bungie‘s Marathon continues to remain active.
In June, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino indicated to Famitsu that Sony will continue to back live service games, despite the hurdles it’s faced.
