According to a source speaking to Kotaku, developers were reportedly moved from Horizon 3 to “help” with Hunters Gathering. If that doesn’t sound vaguely similar to what BioWare did with the Dragon Age team for Anthem, a second source revealed that the sequel may not launch for another three to five years.

Based on rumors of the PlayStation 6’s release, allegedly scheduled for 2027 (unless plans change), it’s possible that Horizon 3 could be geared towards the same. However, this doesn’t entirely rule out a PS5 launch. That’s what happened with Horizon Forbidden West when it launched in 2022, and you have to believe Sony will repeat this process with other releases (including Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic).

In the meantime, Horizon Hunters Gathering will have a closed playtest later this month on PS5 and PC, with three Hunters available to test out. It doesn’t currently have a release date, but Guerrilla has confirmed post-launch support, including more story content.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier responded in the affirmative to a user on Bluesky who asked if this meant the sequel wouldn’t launch for a long time. Adding to this, he said, “I believe most of the studio is on this,” further reinforcing that this will be Guerrilla’s focus for some time.

That’s because the plan is to add more content, including expanding on the story post-launch. The fact that game director Arjan Bak confirmed that the narrative is fully canon further indicates that it’s fully focused on Hunters Gathering.

Despite the disappointment that’s been Sony’s live-service initiative, with multiple cancelled titles, the flop that was Concord, the missing Fairgame$, and so on, the company hasn’t indicated any desire to stop trying. After all, Helldivers 2 continues to perform well, and Bungie’s Marathon is coming up in March.

Nevertheless, Horizon Hunters Gathering has a rough road ahead, something which Guerrilla is seemingly aware of. It’s indicated a desire to build the game alongside fans, starting with a playtest later this month on PS5 and PC.

According to journalist Jason Schreier, that’s not going to be the case. Speaking recently during the Spawn Wave podcast, Schreier claimed that Guerrilla’s next project was going to be the co-op game that the studio confirmed to be in development back in 2022. Meanwhile, the follow-up to Horizon Forbidden West is “a ways off”, according to Schreier. 

Guerrilla has confirmed in the past that it is working on the next single-player Horizon game, though it is yet to be officially announced, and based on Schreier’s information, that might not change anytime soon. 

Meanwhile, reports have claimed that a Horizon MMORPG is also in development in collaboration with NCSoft, which entered into a strategic partnership agreement with PlayStation last year. 

Some are fine with that. Others are probably angry. You can make up your mind. However, it does raise the question: What are Sony’s first-party studios doing?

Let’s start with the confirmed titles. First is Insomniac Games, which finally showcased gameplay for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Not only did it introduce Kraven as one of the new villains, but also Dr Curt Connors in his Lizard incarnation, tearing through the East River as Kraven’s Hunters chased him. The Symbiote suit was also revealed, but on Peter Parker, who has some new brutal abilities to go with it. Miles Morales was no slouch, showcasing new gadgets and enhanced Venom Blast powers that can chain lightning.

It was a lot to dissect, and we’re left with many questions about the story (like the state of Harry Osborne). A release date isn’t confirmed, but Insomniac said it would share the same soon with other details like the pre-order date, accessibility features and more.

Haven Studios, founded by Jade Raymond of Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs and EA Motive fame, also showcased its brand-new title, Fairgame$. Coming to PS5 and PC, it’s an online heist game with competitive elements. No gameplay was showcased, but the various scenarios of its CG trailer did reinforce the emergent sandbox moments that Haven is going for.

Heisters had a grappling hook which could, well, grapple onto the environment and hoist them up. However, it could also grapple a piece of metal to use as a shield or create a barrier against laser wires. It appears to support three-player teams, but not much else is known. A QR code led to a page that may be for pre-registering for an upcoming closed beta. It’s either that or Sony really wants to know which billionaire needs a spanking (seriously).

Firewalk Studios, founded in 2018 by Harold Ryan, former CEO of Bungie, unveiled its new title as well. It’s a PvP first-person shooter called Concord out in 2024 for PS5 and PC. That’s more or less it – yes, once again, no gameplay was showcased. It was touted as a “unique universe of vibrant worlds” and a “rich cast of colorful characters,” so maybe a hero shooter? It’s too early to say, but its director and executive producer have worked on Destiny, so we’ll see.

Odd as it sounds, that’s really all that was revealed on the first-party side. Bungie is owned by Sony and unveiled Marathon, but that’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC with crossplay and cross-save. It’s also a PvP extraction shooter, presumably one with live-service elements. Again, time will tell, but at least whenever gameplay debuts, it will be closer to the game’s release. So there’s that.

It’s understandable for some to be worried that this is all Sony has in the pipeline from its first-party studios. However, Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson reported that “a lot of the games we’re waiting on seeing are pretty much ready” and he was unsure why Sony chose to not reveal them. The Snitch further chimed in, stating that there some announcements weren’t revealed at the Showcase, and it’s unknown why.

One of those is a PC port for a triple-A title reportedly out in July. That would probably answer what Nixxes is up to, though your guess is as good as ours as what said title could be (update: It’s Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, out on July 26th for Steam and the Epic Games Store).

Some of the projects we know about that aren’t formally announced include Bend Studio’s next game. The Days Gone developer is working on a new IP with a “whole new world,” which builds on the open-world systems seen in its zombie survival title and incorporates multiplayer. It’s planning to reveal the title when the time is “right” – sadly, that time wouldn’t be at the recent PlayStation Showcase.

Firesprite, fresh off of releasing Horizon Call of the Mountain with Guerrilla Games, had job listings last year for a “triple-A narrative-driven horror adventure game.” However, later rumors indicated that it’s also working on a reboot of Twisted Metal, with a former Destruction AllStars director onboard. While Firesprite never officially announced it, several job listings emerged last February for a new triple-A multiplayer title that “aims to break new ground in multiplayer, blending gameplay mechanics in new ways and deeply embedding storytelling elements into a unique universe.”

The Principal Designer listing also mentioned “mechanics around vehicular and on-foot combat.” Even if Twisted Metal is in the works, perhaps to coincide with the upcoming show, it seems to be a ways off from release.

Guerrilla Games released Horizon Forbidden West last year to critical and commercial success and followed it up with the Burning Shores expansion this past April. It also worked on the PlayStation VR2 title Horizon Call of the Mountain. Given how Forbidden West and Burning Shores ended, we can safely assume Horizon 3 is on the way.

For its part, the developer confirmed that it would continue “to create epic solo adventures for Aloy.” However, it’s also working on an online Horizon game, developed by a “new internal team” and featuring a “new cast of characters” and a “unique stylized look.” Subsequent job listings have suggested that it will be open-world and feature new Machines, though, again, it may be a while before any gameplay is showcased.

There’s been a lot of talk about online titles and live service, so here’s some potentially good news for single-player fans – Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch Productions put up job listings last year for a new project. The Encounter Designer listing indicated this was “an open-world game, with a particular focus on melee combat and stealth.”

That sounds like a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima is in development. Whether it’s coming sooner than expected, especially since the first game was released in 2020, remains to be seen, but it would be incredibly hype. Will Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, the amazing four-player co-op experience, also return? It probably isn’t beyond Sony to already have a live-service spin-off based on the same in development, so we’ll see.

Amid all of Sony’s first-party studios, Bluepoint Games appears to be the most low-key. The Demon’s Souls remake developer revealed earlier this year that it was “hard at work on our next project” but also that it would showcase it “When the time is right. All good things take time.” What’s particularly interesting is that this project isn’t a remake but “original content,” according to Sony. A sequel to Bloodborne, as rumored by XboxEra in October 2021? One could hope, but the mill has run dry on reliable Bloodborne rumors over the years.

LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule confirmed that live support for Dreams would end on September 1st, 2023, as it focuses on its “exciting new project.” The developer has confirmed it’s not Dreams 2 or based on the IP. Studio co-founder Mark Healey, who served as the creative director of Dreams, left the studio shortly after the announcement.

Another co-founder, Kareem Ettouney, who also served as art director, also departed the studio earlier this year. While this doesn’t mean Media Molecule are in trouble, you have to wonder what it means for the future, especially since ending support for Dreams wasn’t an “easy decision.”

Another low-key first-party studio lately has been London Studio, which released VR shooter Blood and Truth in 2019. It confirmed last October that it’s working on a non-VR, online co-op title set in London but with a fantasy twist. Developed on the in-house Soho Engine, co-studio head Tara Saunders said it’s the studio’s “most ambitious game to date.” While it doesn’t use “all different bits of peripherals, it is still about taking that DNA of innovation and putting it into any game concept,” per Saunders.

Regarding the theme, co-studio head Stuart Whyte revealed, “Our overarching theme is about bringing fantastical and magical elements and intersecting that with familiar worlds, and you don’t get much more familiar to us than London.” Again, sounds interesting, but it may be a ways off from release.

Astro’s Playroom developer Team Asobi was one of the only teams to survive the end of Japan Studio and now exists as a standalone developer. Last we heard, it’s working on “a franchise for all ages with global appeal,” per PlayStation Studios head Herman Hulst. A job listing in July 2021 indicated the studio was hiring for a 3D action title and that creativity and humor would be a part of it. Again, no formal announcement made, so it’s a toss-up when we’ll hear about it.

Finally, there’s Naughty Dog, working on a standalone multiplayer title for The Last of Us. Unfortunately, it seems that development has run into some issues. The developer revealed it’s giving the project “more time,” while Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier said it’s being reassessed for “quality and long-term viability.”

The development team has reportedly been scaled back, with some going to work on other projects, but it’s not cancelled. Interestingly, Naughty Dog said it has “other games” in the works, including a “brand new single-player experience.” The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann confirmed he was working on a new project last year, while also saying it was “too early” to discuss. He’s open to developing The Last of Us Part 3, but that’s not exactly set in stone (yet).

There were rumors of an Uncharted reboot, developed by a different studio. A new recruiter was brought on last year to build teams for “new games” and the “legacy of Uncharted.” Sony would subsequently announce a new internal studio in San Diego with PlayStation Studios Visual Arts to work with Naughty Dog on a “new project in a beloved franchise.” A tease for what could be the next Uncharted was spotted in a live-action trailer for PS5 in January, but again, nothing official has been announced.

There are other first-party studios like Housemarque and Santa Monica Studio, but the former has not indicated its next project. The latter released God of War Ragnarok last November, and it may be a long while before its next project is unveiled. Polyphony Digital indicated in February that work has started on the next Gran Turismo, but it can’t talk about the same just yet. In the meantime, it continues to pump out content updates for Gran Turismo 7.

Given all the projects in development, it remains to be seen if Sony will have more State of Plays this year to showcase its other projects. It’s not odd to see a publisher hold back announcements to avoid bloating its shows (see Xbox). Sony may also be taking a page out of Nintendo’s book and keeping its completed projects under wraps before announcing and releasing them within the same time frame.

If nothing else, it could also be a lean year for triple-A exclusives on the PS5. Given Sony’s recently revealed strategy to have two or more major games yearly, it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise. As horrifying as that no doubt sounds for the PlayStation diehard, the company has released several high-profile exclusives since the PS5’s launch in November 2020. There’s bound to be some downtime in between.

Nevertheless, it should still be an interesting year for PS5 players. Final Fantasy 16 is out in June; Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is reportedly targeting a September release; Helldivers 2 is later this year; and we’re still awaiting news on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the next chapter in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, still planned for Winter 2023. The near future is pretty bright, even if we still need more details on what’s coming in 2024 and beyond.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

In a recent update detailing changes in Guerrilla’s management, with co-studio head Angie Smets set to take on a new role at PlayStation Studios, the studio confirmed that alongside the previously-confirmed Horizon multiplayer game, it is also working on the sequel to Horizon Forbidden West.

“We have full confidence in our new leadership as they steer Guerrilla towards a bright future, expanding the world of Horizon with Aloy’s next adventure and our exciting online project,” the developer wrote.

This is not the first time Guerrilla has alluded to already having Horizon 3 in the works. When it confirmed last year that it was working on a multiplayer title, the studio also said that it was “continuing to create epic solo adventures for Aloy.”

Roughly 10 minutes of early development gameplay footage from the multiplayer title were leaked earlier this year, while job listings have also suggested that the game could release for mobile devices as well.

Meanwhile, leaks have claimed that an enhanced PS5 remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn is also in development, though reportedly, that is not being developed in-house by Guerrilla.

IMPROVED MOBILITY

Horizon Forbidden West has made some significant strides from its predecessor where mobility is concerned, with the addition of mechanics such as free climbing and the Shieldwing contributing significantly on that front. Our hope is that with the sequel, Guerrilla continues to do that. In particular, we feel there’s still room for improvement with the climbing- particularly in Aloy’s movement while she climbs up surfaces. It might sound like a granular change on paper, but having faster, smoother, and more responsive climbing movements would be a huge improvement in practice.

IMPROVED STEALTH

Stealth is never really the main focus in Horizon games, so it makes sense that that aspect of the experience isn’t nearly as polished and deep as the combat is- but it is enough of a focus that we feel it could stand to make big improvements. Even in Forbidden West, which does make changes on this front for the better, stealth can feel a bit too rudimentary and basic, and our hope is that that will no longer be the case when its sequel arrives a few years down the line. Of course, we’re not expecting Horizon to turn into Metal Gear Solid all of a sudden, but having smarter enemies who aren’t so predictable in their actions and so easy to cheese should definitely still be a priority.

UNDERWATER COMBAT

Horizon Forbidden West is a rare example of a game getting underwater sections right. Being able to freely explore gorgeous sunken environments with complete freedom of movement in large spaces adds another excellent layer to the experience- and Horizon 3 can take that another step further in one very simple way. Introduce combat. We’re well aware of the fact that underwater combat won’t be nearly as complex and expansive as regular combat for obvious reasons, but having at least some options to be able to take enemies on in a pinch and not having to completely rely on stealth mechanics would be a massive improvement to these sections.

DEEPER WEAPON CUSTOMIZATION

One of several areas that Horizon Forbidden West deserves a ton of praise for is the range of options it provides with its weapons- not just with unique weapon types, but even the variety of options available within each different type, with each of them being upgradable across each type. The logical step forward for the series now would be to throw in more granular customization options. If players get a bow, maybe they should have the option to add a craft and attach a scope to make it a more viable long-range weapon. If we get a ropecaster, maybe we should be able to add elemental effects of our own choosing. Forbidden West doubled down on its RPG mechanics, which was the best thing it could have done, and something like this would crank that up to 11.

SUMMONABLE COMBAT MACHINES

Overriding machines and using them to your benefit for both traversal and combat is a huge part of these games, and it is undoubtedly an area that Guerrilla will be looking to improve even further with any future instalments. So how could they take things to the next level here? Well, maybe players could always have a combat-focused machine that they could summon to fight by their side in tight situations. Imagine how cool it would be if you could summon, say, a Tremortusk in a fight against a Thunderjaw. It’s not like Forbidden West doesn’t already allow you to do this to some extent- you can make machines fight against each other, and you can summon your mounts to fight by your side during combat, but doubling down on the mechanic and making it an even more integral part of the core loop would make for an excellent addition.

MACHINE CUSTOMIZATION

This is another way that Guerrilla could expand the machine overriding mechanic. Players do get a decent range of options in how they want to use their overriden machines as it is, but providing even more granular control would only improve things, similar to what we spoke about with the weapons. Maybe you could deck out your overriden Clawstrider with a gatling gun, or maybe you could add another layer of armour to your Charger. Forbidden West’s overriding-focused skill tree already veers in this direction as it is, so it wouldn’t be the most surprising thing in the world if its sequel had a dedicated machine customization system.

SYSTEMIC WEATHER MECHANICS

Weather effects in Horizon Forbidden West are absolutely gorgeous. When you’re caught in the middle of a furious sandstorm or a blinding blizzard, you can’t help but stop for a moment and take in all the beauty around you. These weather effects, however, are mostly aesthetic in nature. What we want from Horizon 3 is for the weather mechanics to have a gameplay impact. Like maybe machines getting slower in cold weather, or becoming overheated and going on something of a rampage when caught under the baking sun of a desert.

CO-OP

We’ve spoken plenty of times about how the Horizon template is basically begging for a Monster Hunter-style spinoff, and while we firmly believe that something like that should be its own full-fledged co-op game, we wouldn’t mind seeing co-op being an option in Horizon 3 either. A lot of that would probably be down to how the story is structured, of course- Aloy is alone for the bulk of both Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, so maybe justifying having a co-op partner will be easier said than done. If Guerrilla can figure out a way to make it happen though, it could open up some exciting gameplay opportunities.

CHOICE AND CONSEQUENCE MECHANICS

Both Horizon games have flirted with the idea of choice and consequence mechanics on occasion. In both games, players get to make what feel like key decisions at certain points- though of course, given the very nature of these games, those decisions don’t ever really impact the story and how it plays out. That’s a little disappointing, in all honesty. Horizon 3, then, should go all in on that- keep giving us the opportunity to make these big story decisions at Aloy, but then also make sure that those decisions actually mean something. Have them have a meaningful impact on the story.

A CODEX

This one would probably be an ancillary addition, and not nearly as gameplay-centric as a lot of the other stuff we’ve spoken about in this feature- but we’d still love to see a full-fledged codex in the next Horizon game. This is a ridiculously lore-heavy series, with so much history and backstory attached to so many things, and sometimes, you just want to learn more about all of it- either because you want to refresh your memory, or because you’re just genuinely interested in it. Forbidden West does have a section in its menu dedicated to character bios, which is definitely a step in the right direction, but having a codex would be an excellent bonus.