Guerrilla Games struck gold with Horizon: Zero Dawn a couple years back, but they made a name for themselves with Killzone, a series that may not have been online-only, but definitely was very much online-focused. It seems they might be returning to something that is similar in nature- it may even be a new Killzone title.
As per a listing for a new job opening at Guerrilla Games, the Amsterdam-based studio is looking for a Java Developer to work on an unannounced title. Based on the requirements mentioned and the nature of the work involved, it definitely seems like it’s a project that has a big focus on online play. The applicant’s responsibilities mention creating “a robust backend that can scale up to serve many concurrent users”, while also mentioning involvement in work with “systems like matchmaking, tournaments, clans, and leaderboards”.
Other online-related responsibilities, like deploying new server sets without downtime and integrating the game servers with PSN are also mentioned. The preferred requirements for the applicant that are mentioned in the listing also point to an online focus. The applicant is required to “have a deep understanding of web-related technologies”, as well as “an interest in online gaming”.
It’s no secret that a new Killzone game has been in heavy demand for long time, and an online-focused game being in development at Guerrilla Games might be hinting at such a sequel as one of the possibilities- though it’s also possible that it’s a brand new IP entirely. Not too long ago, recruitments made by Guerrilla also suggested that the studio was staffing up for an online-focused game, while we also know for a fact that Sony would like to have more multiplayer-centric titles in its lineup with the PS5 next generation.
It’s worth noting that this doesn’t mean Guerrilla is moving away from Horizon: Zero Dawn, or from single player games as a whole. The studio expanded heavily last year, and did so with the intention of being able to work on multiple games at the same time, and have a faster and more frequent output of games. So it’s pretty likely that a Horizon sequel is also being developed at the same time.