According to new leaks, the nextHorizongame will be an online multiplayer, and the timing couldn’t be worse. The series has proven to be quite the success for PlayStation fans, with bothHorizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden Westoffering vast open-world experiences with dynamic combat and almostMonster Hunter-esque enemies to fight. While the story quality fluctuates between games, there is clearly a lot of love for the world and characters, especially the incredible Aloy. Naturally, fans want more from the series, eager to explore more of robot-infested America and learn about the various factions that now inhabit it.
The nextHorizongame is not a sequel but isreportedlyHorizon Online, an MMO that has supposedly been in the works for a while. Of course, there are plenty of directions a more traditional single-player sequel could go, especially considering the weird andwonderfulHorizon Forbidden Westending, but while that is coming eventually, the next entry will - according to rumor - skew more towards Sony’s push for multiplayer experiences. However,after the enormous failure ofConcordand the dwindling player numbers ofHelldivers 2, it’s hard to see how Horizon Online won’t be a disaster.
Horizon Online Has Been In Production For A While
Horizon Online Dates Back To 2022
Horizon Onlinehas been in the works for quite some time, with job listings seeminglyconfirming the project back in 2022despite no official announcement. Since then,Jason Schreier, speaking on Spawn Wave’sSpawncast, revealed thatHorizon Onlinewill be the next game, despite not knowing personally “how many people want that.” He went on to explain that “Horizon Online is [Guerrilla’s] next project, not whatever the third single-player game looks like,” and will come afterLEGO Horizon Adventuresand theHorizon Zero Dawn Remaster.
Every New Machine Horizon Forbidden West & Burning Shores DLC Introduce
Horizon Forbidden West introduces a wide variety of new and challenging machines, and the Burning Shores DLC adds several to that number.
In December 2022,Guerrilla Games posted to Twitter about job listings for its upcomingHorizon"online project,“explaining that while Aloy’s adventures will continue eventually, for now, it is making a multiplayer experience. The listing didn’t give much info about the project beyond that it features a “new cast of characters and a unique stylized look.” More detailed job listings (since removed) gave further details, such as how it will “tell a deep, complex story,” have a “variety of enemies (Machines & Humanoids) that focus on exciting combat with cooperative elements,” and will feature “quests, factions, and backstories” (viaIGN.)
Of course,all of this is framed by Sony’s catastrophic push for more live service games, with a large portion ofthe community already turning against it.Concordwas a disaster, pulling inbarely 25,000 salesbefore being unceremoniously shut down, and Sony’s more successful live service title,Helldivers 2, has seen its player count dip significantly due to poorly received updates and a lack of new content. This led Sony to review 12 of its in-development live service titles, only committing to releasing six of them by 2025, and subsequently canceling Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Us Online.
Of course, the failure of certain titles isn’t indicative thatHorizon Onlinewill fail, but Sony’s track record of greenlighting bad live service titles speaks for itself. Even pedigree developers have struggled with releasing a live service title, such as Naughty Dog withThe Last of Us Online, which was canceled shortly after it was alleged (viaBloomberg) that Bungie reviewed it and found it worried it wouldn’t be able to “keep players engaged for a long period of time.” So,what chance doesHorizon Onlinestand when Naughty Dog can’t even get aLast of Us Onlinegame right?
Horizon Online Will Likely Remove The Most Compelling Part Of The Original Games
It Features An All-New Cast
Even putting aside the failures of Sony’s live service efforts,Horizon Onlinewill likely not work as it’s removing the very thing that makes it such a compelling series in the first place: Aloy.Horizon Onlinewill likely feature an all-new cast, with players presumably taking on the role of a custom-made character, and will undoubtedly take place in a new location Aloy has yet to visit. Being so divorced from the main story so far featured in theHorizonseries means that it’ll likely feel more like a side quest rather than a full-blown adventure with real stakes.
Of course, bothHorizon Zero DawnandForbidden Westhave a plethora of other engaging elements, namely the combat and dungeons. However, while they are good reasons to play these games, the story is what drives them to be as memorable and beloved as they are now.
Whatever happens inHorizon Onlinecan’t affectHorizon 3, as that would require everyone to play it, which is unlikely and impractical for those without stable internet connections or the funds to pay for PS+. That’s not to say thatHorizon Onlinewon’t be fun, but it won’t help to further the interesting story already happening, pushing fans' hopes of seeing thesetting and story ideas ofHorizon 3even further back. It also means that it can’t affect the world in a consequential way, as if it did, it would have an effect on the story ofHorizon 3.
So, without Aloy - the character players actually care about - and without any real stakes,what chance doesHorizon Onlinehave of telling a compelling story? Of course, stories don’t need to have doomsday-level events to be compelling, but when they revolve around a large community of players banding together, they can’t really be a smaller-scale personal adventure. The middle ground - which is arguably a less impactful and less character-driven experience - feels not worthwhile, especially when it’s getting in the way of players gettingHorizon 3.
Horizon Online Puts A Huge Gap Between Forbidden West And The Sequel
LEGO Horizon Adventures & The Horizon Zero Dawn Remaster Might Not Be Enough
Another issue withHorizon Onlineis that it’s likely pushing backHorizon 3, as development resources and time will perhaps have gone into producing it, thus taking away fromHorizon 3’sproduction. This wouldn’t inherently be an issue if the gap betweenForbidden Westand3didn’t feel so long, but as the production times of Sony’s first-party exclusives keep going up, it seems likeHorizon 3is a long way off. Jason Schreier mentioned during the aforementioned Spawncast interview that he believesHorizon 3"might be a ways off,” and that’s largely to do with the variousHorizonprojects in the works.
Burning Shores’ Story Almost Ruins Horizon Forbidden West’s Ending
Although Burning Shores tells a compelling story, its plot can feel jarring when played straight after Horizon Forbidden West’s ending.
There’s themuch-malignedHorizon Zero Dawn Remastercoming in late October, followed by the questionableLEGO Horizon Adventures, which seems to be generating very little buzz. These feel like meager offerings, especially to the generalHorizonfanbase, who are likely not intoLEGOgames or replaying the same game again but with slightly nicer graphics.Should these flop, that leavesHorizon Onlineas the next game before the long-awaitedHorizon 3, but even then, it might not happen, as Schreier explains in the interview:
“They’ve got this remaster coming and the Lego game coming. What happens if neither of those hit, and it turns out there isn’t a ton of interest in Horizon anymore? Are they still gonna be doing the online game? There are a lot of questions around their strategy and around that online game that I certainly have.”
Ultimately, it remains to be seen how wellHorizon Onlinedoes, but a potentially weaker storyline incapable of impacting the mainline plot without alienating some of its audience, coupled with the lack of Aloy, put it in a precarious position right out the gate. There is a good chance that it will take the best elements of the previous games, namely the combat, and make a fun multiplayer experience out of it. However, how longHorizon Onlinewill last is debatable, and players should go into it with the expectation that, likeConcord, it could get pulled at any moment.
