Sony’s ambitious plans for expanding the Horizon franchise into the live-service gaming market have hit a significant roadblock, according to new industry reports. Horizon Hunters Gathering, the cooperative multiplayer spin-off of Guerrilla Games’ acclaimed action-adventure series, is reportedly undergoing a major overhaul following disappointing feedback from private playtesting sessions earlier this year. The news represents yet another setback for PlayStation’s broader strategy to establish a foothold in the lucrative online gaming market, a space that has proven remarkably challenging for the traditionally single-player-focused company.
The report originates from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, widely regarded as one of the most reliable sources in video game industry reporting. Citing anonymous sources with direct knowledge of the project’s development, Schreier reveals that internal playtests conducted earlier this year generated such poor feedback that Sony and Guerrilla Games have decided to fundamentally reimagine the entire project. According to these sources, the current plan involves stripping out the live-service components entirely and transforming Hunters Gathering into a more traditional cooperative multiplayer experience featuring a dedicated story mode and significantly reduced scope.
A Dramatic Shift in Direction
When Horizon Hunters Gathering was first announced earlier this year, the reception from fans and industry observers was decidedly mixed. While the game retained worldbuilding elements from the beloved Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel Forbidden West, the dramatic changes to both genre and art style left many longtime fans feeling alienated rather than excited. The original Horizon games are known for their breathtaking open-world environments, compelling narrative centered on protagonist Aloy, and stunning visual fidelity. The spin-off’s departure from these established elements raised immediate concerns about whether the project understood what made the franchise special in the first place.
The reported overhaul suggests that these initial concerns were validated during hands-on testing. Rather than proceeding with a games-as-a-service model that would require continuous content updates, seasonal passes, and ongoing player engagement mechanics, the development team is now pivoting toward a more contained experience. However, the future of the project remains uncertain. According to Schreier’s sources, the Hunters Gathering team has only until December to demonstrate meaningful progress and impress Sony executives at their next development milestone. Additionally, many developers currently working on the project are being reassigned to other initiatives, with their positions to be reevaluated at year’s end.
PlayStation’s Troubled Live-Service Journey
The struggles facing Hunters Gathering are emblematic of a broader pattern that has plagued Sony’s live-service ambitions throughout the 2020s. Despite being the undisputed leader in premium single-player gaming experiences, PlayStation has repeatedly failed to translate that success into the online multiplayer space. The company has cancelled several high-profile multiplayer projects before they ever reached consumers, including spin-offs based on three of its most valuable franchises: God of War, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us. Each of these cancellations represented significant investments of time, money, and talent that ultimately produced nothing for the market.
Perhaps the most dramatic failure came with Concord, a hero shooter that Sony launched with considerable marketing support only to shut down less than two weeks after release due to catastrophically low player numbers. The game’s failure was so complete and so rapid that it became an instant cautionary tale about the dangers of entering an oversaturated market without a compelling unique selling proposition. Additionally, Destiny 2, which Sony acquired through its purchase of Bungie for approximately $3.6 billion, received its final major update this year amid significant layoffs at the studio. These setbacks have raised serious questions about whether PlayStation’s corporate culture and development expertise, honed through decades of single-player excellence, can successfully adapt to the fundamentally different demands of live-service gaming.
Impact on the Horizon Franchise’s Future
For dedicated fans of the Horizon series, the news carries additional disappointing implications. According to the Bloomberg report, the majority of developers who worked on Horizon Forbidden West, the critically acclaimed 2022 sequel, are currently assigned to Hunters Gathering rather than the next mainline entry in the franchise. This allocation of resources means that Horizon 3, or whatever the next single-player installment might be called, remains years away from completion. Schreier’s sources indicate that only a small team has been working on preliminary planning for the next chapter in Aloy’s story, suggesting that fans should not expect any announcements in the near future.
The Horizon franchise has been one of PlayStation’s most successful new intellectual properties of the past decade. Horizon Zero Dawn, released in 2017, sold over 20 million copies and established a richly detailed post-apocalyptic world where robotic creatures resembling dinosaurs roam landscapes reclaimed by nature. The game’s unique blend of action combat, exploration, and environmental storytelling earned widespread critical acclaim. Its sequel, Forbidden West, expanded upon these foundations while pushing the PlayStation 5’s technical capabilities to impressive new heights. The decision to divert resources toward an uncertain live-service experiment rather than capitalizing on this established success reflects the immense financial pressure companies face to establish recurring revenue streams in an industry where development costs continue to escalate dramatically.
PlayStation has not officially commented on the Bloomberg report, declining to confirm or deny any details about Hunters Gathering’s development status or future direction. The coming months will be crucial in determining whether this ambitious spin-off can be salvaged in its new form or whether it will join the growing list of cancelled PlayStation multiplayer projects. Regardless of the outcome, the situation underscores the significant challenges even the most successful gaming companies face when attempting to expand beyond their core competencies.
Expert Opinion: Sony’s persistent struggles with live-service gaming suggest a fundamental misalignment between the company’s development DNA and the demands of ongoing multiplayer experiences. The pivot toward a traditional cooperative game with Hunters Gathering may ultimately prove to be the wiser choice, as PlayStation’s strengths lie in crafted, narrative-driven experiences rather than perpetual content treadmills. If Sony truly wants to succeed in this space, it may need to develop entirely new internal studios with live-service expertise from the ground up rather than retrofitting existing teams built around single-player excellence.
