The Horizon franchise is about to shake things up with its upcoming spin-off Horizon Hunters Gathering, and curious fans will get to check it out this weekend during the game’s first playtest. Horizon Hunters Gathering is an upcoming co-op live-service game set in the Horizon universe, and gamers are about to get the first sneak peek into what the game has to offer.
Horizon Hunters Gathering was announced at the beginning of February, and it already looks like a huge departure from the PlayStation exclusive series’ usual formula. From a different, more stylized art style to its live-service approach, this new Horizon multiplayer game is a surprising turn for the franchise. There have been rumors and leaks about a multiplayer Horizon game for a while now, and Horizon Hunters Gathering making its surprise debut shows that Guerrilla Games has indeed been working on a co-op project.
Horizon 3’s Biggest Story Challenge is Already Obvious
After potentially confirming the series’ next main antagonist, Horizon 3’s story could face an uphill battle when characterizing that threat.
Horizon Hunters Gathering is Hosting Its First Closed Playtest This Weekend
- The playtest will run from Friday, February 27 to Sunday, March 1.
- Both PS5 and PC users will be allowed into the test.
- PC users will access the game via Steam.
Since this playtest is closed, it means that only those who are part of the PlayStation beta program are eligible to try out the game. There is still some time to sign up ahead of the playtest’s launch. Once Friday gets here, though, it won’t be possible to sign up, so Horizon fans who are interested will want to act fast. Also, Horizon Hunters Gathering‘s playtest isn’t available to all countries. Only gamers in North America and Europe will be able to participate. As the wait for more Horizon 3 news continues, Horizon Hunters Gathering is the first piece of Horizon content that fans have gotten in a while.
North American servers are planned to be open from 4pm to 7pm Pacific Time. European servers will be live between 7pm and 10pm Central European Time.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
There is still a lot of mystery surrounding Horizon Hunters Gathering. A co-op Horizon spin-off is a bold step away from the series’ single-player narrative-driven approach, but Guerrilla Games has at least offered a few insights into what to expect. The game supports up to three players, or Hunters, while the gameplay is tactical and skill-based. The Hunters that players will be able to choose during the playtest are named Axle, Sun, and Rem. There are also two confirmed game modes. Machine Incursion is a wave-based mode, and Cauldron Descent is a multi-stage dungeon exploration mode. Both are confirmed to be part of the upcoming playtest, as well.
Horizon Hunters Gathering is Going to Be Canon to the Larger Horizon Universe
One of the main things that makes Horizon Hunters Gathering so intriguing is that it’s going to play a part in Horizon‘s ongoing narrative. Guerrilla Games’ official press release for the game states, “The game has a narrative campaign which will introduce new mysteries, characters, and threats, but we’re keeping it under wraps for now. What we can say is that Hunters Gathering is fully canon and its story doesn’t stop at launch!” Once the game releases, it will be interesting to see how it expands the Horizon franchise lore.
The Horizon Hunters Gathering playtest is also happening at a strange time. Sony is hosting the Marathon Server Slam this weekend, too. Marathon‘s journey to the finish line has been filled with obstacles, and Horizon Hunters Gathering has left some franchise fans frustrated that a live-service multiplayer spin-off is getting released before Horizon 3. So, it will be fascinating to see what the feedback to both games ends up being after the weekend is over.
