Guerrilla has seen far greater success with the Horizon series than it did with anything it had previously worked on, but even so, there’s a sizeable contingent of Killzone fans out there who have been desperate for the studio to return to the sci-fi first-person shooter franchise. Such a return has looked unlikely even at the best of times in recent years, however, and going by fresh comments from art director Roy Postma – who has been at Guerrilla since 2000 – it doesn’t look like the studio has any intention to go back to Killzone.
Speaking in a recent interview with Washington Post, Postma touched on Killzone, stating that Guerrilla was “done” with the franchise when it decided to start developing Horizon Zero Dawn, and that the latter was consciously and deliberately designed as a much more vibrant and colourful experience than the gritty and dour Killzone universe.
“We were done with it as a team,” Postma said. “As a studio, we needed to refresh the palette. It was, by choice, the opposite of Killzone. I think the themes that this story and the characters represent are relatable for all ages and people, like having a found family of friends and finding your place in the world.”
With Killzone having been dormant for over a decade and Horizon enjoying the success that it has, chances of the former coming back from the dead have looked slim anyway, but when you add Postma’s comments on top of that, those chances begin looking even slimmer, which is something Killzone fans won’t be happy with.
Horizon fans, on the other hand, have no shortage of things to look forward to, with Hero Zero Dawn Remastered due out on October 31, and LEGO Horizon Adventures launching not long afterward on November 14.