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.

“I want to be very clear about one thing. We absolutely love making single-player games, and we’re going to keep making them,” said Van Beek, according to GamesRadar. He went on to note that, while single-player games are still “a huge part of who we are as a studio,” Guerrilla Games also has other ambitions.

“We also have this long-standing dream to try to do something different,” he explained. “Our own take on how you can explore the world of Horizon together as a team of machine hunters.”

Horizon Hunters Gathering will mark Guerrilla Games’ foray into multiplayer for the first time since its work on the Killzone franchise, the last of which was 2013’s Killzone Shadow Fall. Since then, the studio has kept itself busy with its work on the Horizon franchise, while also working with Kojima Productions so the latter could use the former’s in-house Decima game engine for Death Stranding.

The upcoming title is going to be a 3-player co-op game, with four environments being available for its various missions. The title will revolve around “runs”, and borrowing more cues from the rogue-lite genre, will allow players to power-up by acquiring Perks. Two modes have been confirmed for Horizon Hunters Gathering: Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent.

While Machine Incursion will focus on players teaming up to take on ever-escalating waves of Machines that culminates in a boss fight, Cauldron Descent will of focus on players exploring “ever-changing rooms”, each of which offering their own unique challenges. These can range from combat encounters to platforming and even puzzle-solving.

Completing a hunt across either of the mods will allow players to improve their gear depending on the rewards they found during their excursions. The title will also offer a hub area where players can socialize and hang out.

While it doesn’t yet have a release date, Guerrilla Games has announced a closed playtest, for which players can sign up through the PlayStation Beta Program. The playtest is slated to go live towards the end of the month.

While Horizon Hunters Gathering might seem like a fun idea for a spin-off, game director Arjan Bak has confirmed that its narrative will be “fully canon” with the overall Horizon franchise.

“These Hunters have their own motivations and personal struggles, which comes together in new stories we want to tell in the world of Horizon,” he said about the playable characters. “The game has a narrative campaign which will introduce new mysteries, characters, and threats, but we’re keeping it under wraps for now. What we can say is that Hunters Gathering is fully canon and its story doesn’t stop at launch!”

“These Hunters have their own motivations and personal struggles, which comes together in new stories we want to tell in the world of Horizon,” he said about the roster of new playable characters. “The game has a narrative campaign which will introduce new mysteries, characters, and threats, but we’re keeping it under wraps for now. What we can say is that Hunters Gathering is fully canon and its story doesn’t stop at launch!”

Of course, given how Horizon Forbidden West ended, you have to wonder how much it’s really going to matter when Horizon 3 launches. Regardless, this is the second multiplayer-centric Horizon project on the way, with NCSoft also working on Horizon Steel Frontiers. Guerrilla clearly wants to expand the universe in other directions and genres, so we’ll see how things pan out.

Horizon Hunters Gathering will feature four environments at launch, with players venturing through forests, plains, and even replayable Cauldrons to take on the Machines. While you’ll team up with two other players, the key difference from the other mainline Horizon games is that they each have unique abilities and playstyles. Some are ranged; others are melee-focused, and each can be assigned a different sub-role to bolster the team.

A release date has yet to be confirmed, but Horizon Hunters Gathering will have a closed playtest by the end of February with three playable characters available.

Unlike Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, Hunters Gathering features an animated art style and focuses on other formidable hunters in the world. Up to three players can team up and venture out into four different environments, acquiring Perks in rogue-lite fashion after clearing Machine encounters.

Two modes are confirmed – Machine Incursion, a wave-based battle against Machines ending in a boss fight, and Cauldron Descent, which is longer and offers “ever-changing rooms” (including some hidden ones). Similar to other games in the series, you can precisely target Machine parts with ranged weaponry. However, there’s also melee combat, and every character can choose Tank, Damage, and Support roles ahead of runs to support the team.

Upon completing a hunt, it’s back to the titular Hunters Gathering to socialize, improve your gear, and more. Those interested in trying Horizon Hunters Gathering before launch can sign up for a future closed playtest via the PlayStation Beta Program. It goes live at the end of this month, so stay tuned for more details.