PlayStation’s Amsterdam-based studio, Guerrila Games, made a name for itself with theKillzoneseries during the PS3 generation, but ever since it launchedHorizon Zero Dawnin 2017, the company has almost exclusively focused on makingHorizongames. Despite their widespread critical and commercial success,Horizon Zero Dawnand its 2022 successor,Horizon Forbidden West, have gotten a bit of a bad rap from a few corners in the gaming community. While the franchise has a lot of fans, some people think that theHorizongames are too plain and formulaic compared toKillzone, and they believe that Guerrilla Games is investing too much money into promoting them. In spite of these criticisms, though, neither PlayStation nor Guerrilla have plans to abandon the franchise anytime soon.
Guerrilla Games announced a few years ago that it was working on not one, but two new installments in theHorizonseries. The first of these games isan online multiplayerHorizongamethat supposedly has aFortnite-like art style and seems to be inspired byMonster Hunter. The other game, meanwhile, is the third mainline entry in theHorizontrilogy, colloquially namedHorizon 3. The studio hasn’t shared any major details about either of these games yet, so it seems like they’re both still a ways off from hitting the market. BeforeHorizon 3gets released, however, Guerrilla should expandHorizon’s reach by porting the franchise’s first two installments to other platforms, like Xbox.
PlayStation Should Bring the First Two Horizon Games to Xbox
The Horizon Series Has Largely Been Exclusive to PlayStation Consoles
Horizonhas, for the most part, been a PlayStation-exclusive series.Horizon Zero Dawn,Horizon Forbidden West, and the VR-only spin-off game,Horizon Call of the Mountain, have all made their debuts on PlayStation consoles. TheHorizonseries, however, has been used as a guinea pig of sorts for PlayStation’s multi-platform strategies.Horizon Zero Dawnwas ported to Windows PCs in 2020, making it the first-ever modern PlayStation first-party game to be released on a non-PS platform. Meanwhile,the newly-releasedLEGO Horizon Adventureswas simultaneously launched on not only PS5 and PC, but Nintendo Switch, as well.
PlayStation is Becoming More Multi-Platform, As Can Be Seen With Helldivers 2 on Xbox
The thought ofHorizon Zero DawnorHorizon Forbidden Westcoming to a platform other than PlayStation seemed absurd a few years ago, but it doesn’t sound so implausible now. Although PlayStation has often prided itself on its exclusive first-party content, the company has lately become more multi-platform than ever before.LEGO Horizonon Switch aside, perhaps the best example of thiscan be seen withHelldivers 2, which, despite being a PlayStation-published multiplayer shooter, is making its way to Xbox Series X/S this August.
UnlikeHorizon,Helldivers 2was not developed bya PlayStation first-party company. It was instead made by Arrowhead Game Studios, an independent Swedish developer who had previously worked on titles likeMagickaandGauntlet. In spite of this, though, PlayStation — not Arrowhead — has complete control over what platforms the game goes to, because it is the one that owns theHelldiversfranchise. Even thoughHelldivers 2isn’t a true first-party title, it seems like it was entirely PlayStation’s decision to bring the game to Xbox. PlayStation has never directly published a game on Xbox before, so the fact thatHelldivers 2is coming to the platform suggests a shift in its overall business strategy.
Since Guerrilla Games' upcoming multiplayerHorizongame will likely be a live service title, likeHelldivers 2, it’s possible that it will be released on Xbox a year or two after its PlayStation launch.
Bringing The First Two Horizon Games to Xbox Could Encourage Xbox Players to Get a PS5 for Horizon 3
Technically,Helldivers 2being on Xbox doesn’t necessarily guarantee thatHorizonwill come to the platform, as well. SinceHelldivers 2is a multiplayer live service game, it benefits greatly from being available on as many devices as possible.Horizon, on the other hand, is a primarily single-player franchise, so PlayStation may not be as interested in bringing it to Xbox. That said, a multi-platform expansion of the series could still be advantageous to the company in some ways. If PlayStation and Guerrilla GamesbringHorizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden Westto Xboxin the next few years, they could get Xbox players interested in theHorizonfranchise. That way, those individuals may be more inclined to buy a PS5 (or a PS6) forHorizon 3, whenever that game is eventually released. It’s a risky strategy, but it could work well for PlayStation and Xbox players in the long run.
