Horizon Hunters Gathering is one of the many live-service games that Sony has been incubating, but negative playtest feedback from earlier this year has reportedly caused Guerrilla Games to pivot and allegedly get rid of the game’s entire live-service component. Discourse surrounding Horizon Hunters Gathering has been complicated, as many fans of the Horizon series have been quite vocal about wanting a third mainline chapter instead of a live-service spin-off. This report comes from Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, and if his words are accurate, it sounds like Guerrilla Games has taken fan and tester feedback to heart.
This has ignited rumors that Horizon Hunters Gathering is being canceled, but Schreier’s report paints an even more complicated picture. Horizon Hunters Gathering isn’t in danger of being canceled just yet, but the team at Guerrilla Games reportedly scrapping the live-service aspect means that the game is now in a limbo state. Sony has been adamant about trying to make the company the reigning leader in live-service titles, but Horizon Hunters Gathering allegedly dropping the live-service formula hopefully turns out to be the death rattle that puts Sony’s plans to an end.
If Horizon Hunters Gathering Reports Are True, Sony Needs to Finally Accept That the Days of Live-Service Games Are Long Gone
There was once a time when live-service games were all the rage, and it seemed like a cool, new approach to gaming that gave titles some serious longevity. Gaming’s live-service model has been around in some shape or form since the era of subscription-based MMORPGs, but the arrival of Fortnite in 2017 put a massive spotlight on live-service and popularized it in a huge way. Epic Games was practically printing money, and naturally, every other major gaming company wanted to experience even just a small piece of that success.
Choose cover art to complete the equations.
Choose cover art to complete the equations.
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)
It’s been nearly 10 years since Fortnite hit the scene, and many gamers are simply tired of live-service offerings. Games like Helldivers 2 are exceptions that demonstrate how the formula can still be used in a creative and engaging way, but a good chunk of live-service games grow repetitive and stale over time. Fortnite still rakes in a wild number of players, but even the live-service champ has seen a declining player base over the last year.
Despite the trend being almost a decade old, Sony appears absolutely hellbent on making its live-service plans happen. Frankly, it’s pretty baffling at this point. Helldivers 2 and Marathon have been the only successful releases when it comes to Sony’s live-service games, and the latter has still struggled to attract the kinds of player numbers that the company would like to see. Nearly every live-service project Sony had in the works has been canceled, and Horizon Hunters Gathering ditching the formula could be a turning point.
Sony Live-Service Games That Have Been Shut Down or Canceled
- Concord
- The Last of Us Online
- God of War live-service project
- Twisted Metal spin-off
- Spider-Man: The Great Web
- Destruction AllStars
- Project Payback
- Neon Koi unnamed live-service project
- Project Camden
- Bend Studios unnamed live-service project
Concord is by far the most notorious out of all these live-service games. Sony’s Guardians of the Galaxy meets Overwatch hero shooter was live for only two short weeks before both the game and its developer, Firewalk Studios, were shut down. The thing is that Concord wasn’t even necessarily a bad game. Live-service hero shooters had already enjoyed plenty of time in the spotlight. Unfortunately, Concord arrived too late to the party. Marvel Rivals was able to make a name for itself, but it’s the exception, not the rule. Plus, it has Marvel’s brand recognition to help back it up.
Horizon Hunters Gathering Needs to Be a Live-Service Off-Ramp for Sony
According to Schreier, Guerrilla Games is going to reboot Horizon Hunters Gathering into a more traditional co-op multiplayer experience that has a smaller scale and a more straightforward story mode. The game may be safe from cancellation at the moment, but Schreier’s report also claims that the team has a crucial December deadline. If the devs are unable to impress Sony executives with this gameplay rework, then it might be the end of Horizon Hunters Gathering.
Sony Needs to Refocus on What It Does Best
It’s not like Sony is a stranger to multiplayer projects. However, single-player story-driven games are where the company truly shines. Sony is built on single-player games with rich, compelling narratives, and the company can hopefully get back on track once the Horizon Hunters Gathering situation is figured out. Granted, there have been some amazing Sony-published single-player games alongside this live-service push. Games like Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2, Saros, Returnal, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 have continued that single-player narrative tradition.
After Horizon Hunters Gathering, one of the few Sony live-service projects left is Farigame$ by Haven Studios. The game was first announced back in 2023, but it has faced a rocky development cycle and long bouts of silence. It’s still possible that Fairgame$ makes it across the finish line. It wouldn’t be too surprising if the game ended up being canceled, though.
Also, with the Marvel’s Wolverine release date right around the corner, another exciting title is set to be added to that list. The PS5 era feels like it’s finally getting underway, and the live-service titles are simply adding too much bloat when Sony-owned developers could have been working on great new original IPs or even bringing sequels to life. Horizon Hunters Gathering wouldn’t be so frustrating if it wasn’t blocking Horizon 3 from getting here faster.
God of War Laufey coming out next year and Naughty Dog’s mysterious Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet could set up another solid year for Sony. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet‘s release date hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it would be a strong 2027 closer. Sony’s live-service detour didn’t pan out, and that’s okay. It’s important for companies to try out new things, but it’s worrying that Sony is seemingly overlooking that this new path isn’t working. The insistence has been frustrating, and Horizon Hunters Gathering is hopefully a big wake-up call.
