Chief among these is the fact that Guild Wars 3, like its predecessors Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, will not have any subscription fees. Johanson has noted that one of the franchise’s defining ideas has been that “players should be able to buy the game and play it on their own terms.” This also means that the title won’t include any battle passes either.

While titles like this tend to supplement revenue through in-game microtransactions, Johanson has also promised that Guild Wars 3 will not feature any pay-to-win elements. Rather, any microtransaction items released for the MMO will be strictly cosmetic, along with other features like account services and time-saving convenience items. “But it’s never okay in a Guild Wars game for players who spend money to have an unfair advantage over players who spend time,” he wrote.

MMORPGs often tend to be quite time-consuming, and many need them to be treated by players like they are second jobs. Guild Wars 3 wants to avoid this by “respecting players’ time,” which has “always been a core part of Guild Wars, and that’s more important today than ever before.”

Rather than forcing players to spend time doing things they rather wouldn’t, ArenaNet instead wants players to “feel good about the time you invest”, regardless of how much time they actually get to spend with the game. More details on how game systems are being designed with this in mind are slated to be revealed in the future.

Finally, Johanson also discussed what it actually means for Guild Wars 3 to be “a modern evolution of the MMO”. Noting that the original Guild Wars was about a small team made up of the player and their assembled henchman, hero NPCs, and other players, and Guild Wars 2 was about “giant-scale” experiences in a large open-world setting, Guild Wars 3 is slated to be in the middle of this spectrum.

“While it fits the definition of an MMORPG significantly more than Guild Wars Reforged does, it doesn’t try to replicate the large-scale gameplay pillars that so uniquely define Guild Wars 2,” explained Johanson. “This ensures that all three of our games can coexist as different experiences on different timelines, telling different stories about the world of Tyria.

Guild Wars 3 was unveiled earlier this month with a trailer, and while we didn’t get to see much in the way of gameplay, the CG trailer did emphasize that the upcoming MMORPG will include one of Guild Wars 2’s most beloved features – the mount system. The title is being developed for PC and PS5, and doesn’t yet have a release window. ArenaNet has confirmed that it will start beta tests in Fall 2027.

Right off the bat, the trailer focused on one of Guild Wars 2’s most-beloved features – the mount system. It looks like Guild Wars 3 will also have a similar focus on mount collection, with plenty of unique creatures being available for players. Aside from the mount riding and a few clips of the player character being able to run up a mountain, no other gameplay details have been revealed.

Whether ArenaNet will stick to the Guild Wars tradition of eschewing a monthly subscription fee in favor of allowing players to simply buy the game just once also remains to be seen. Guild Wars 2 has certainly seen quite a bit of success with this pricing strategy, thanks in no small part to the hefty post-launch support seen by the MMORPG through the release of several expansions.

Guild Wars 3 is being developed for PC and PS5. While there is no release window yet, ArenaNet has announced that it will be kicking off beta tests for the MMORPG in Fall 2027. Players interested in checking out the beta can sign up on the game’s official website.

The company didn’t really reveal any reason behind its decision to push the title’s release back to the first half of 2027, aside from noting that it will be joining other planned releases for the year that include Defect, Astrae Oratio, and Bonfire, among others. The fact that the company has fairly crowded plans for 2026 might have played a role in this, with titles like Cinder City and Time Takers slated for release in the second half of this year.

Horizon Steel Frontiers was officially unveiled back in November 2025, nearly two years after NCSoft and Sony had announced their strategic partnership. The MMORPG is being developed for PC, iOS, and Android. A PS5 release is conspicuous by its absence, especially since Horizon is one of Sony’s tentpole first-party franchises. In a statement, executive producer Lee Song clarified that NCSoft has “no reason” not to target the console. The decision, however, lies with Sony.

The MMORPG is slated to feature “unique, original gameplay elements” that revolve around taking down giant machines. An example provided of such gameplay elements involves making use of a Pullcaster to climb onto the machines after having destroyed a specific part. Players will also be able to set traps on damaged parts, and even inflict status afflictions.

“In Horizon Steel Frontiers, every player is a hero,” said executive producer Sung-Gu Lee. “We’ve put great care into customization, allowing you to fully express your individuality—even down to the smallest details. During character creation, we’ve incorporated the tribes from the original Horizon world.”

Interestingly, Horizon Steel Frontiers is being developed using Unreal Engine 5 rather than the franchise’s traditional Decima Engine. In an interview, Lee spoke about working closely with Guerrilla Games to develop the title, since the studio has quite a bit of technical expertise.

“We worked closely with Guerrilla to make sure we preserved the visual fidelity of the original, while creating gameplay that feels unique to Steel Frontiers,” he said. “Leveraging Unreal Engine 5’s powerful graphics capabilities, we’re able to deliver breathtaking visuals and smooth multiplayer experiences across both mobile and PC.”

Horizon Steel Frontiers isn’t the only multiplayer game based on the franchise currently in the works; February saw the unveiling of the Guerrilla Games-developed Horizon Hunters Gathering – a co-op game taking place in the Horizon universe that is being developed for PC and PS5. The title features a more stylistic look, and will revolve around two game modes – Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent.

Horizon Hunters Gathering has been made available through a number of closed playtests, with the most recent one being held from May 22nd to May 25th across both PC and PS5. It doesn’t yet have a solid release date.

“This new partnership with NCSoft really locks in our goal of bringing DEFECT to the world alongside a strong ally,” said emptyvessel CEO Emanuel Palalic in a statement. “NC’s support and guidance are helping us build a strong foundation for DEFECT‘s single-player experience. In an era where many publishers have been moving away from supporting single-player in games, it’s refreshing to have NCSoft’s support and trust in what we’re building.”

CEO of NC America, and COO of NC West/Arenanet Jeonghee Jin offered her own statement, noting that the company had worked with the studio “from the very start”, from offering early cash injections that would allow for development to continue, to its new deal to publish the game. “We’re thrilled with the partnership agreement,” she said. “We strongly believe DEFECT‘s intense gameplay shows great promise against today’s tough FPS landscape.”

DEFECT was unveiled a couple of years ago. The shooter has been described as a team-based, objective-driven game that is aimed at players who want co-operative multiplayer experiences. This partnership with NC America is set to support the development of its multiplayer components, while the studio also works on more single-player gameplay.

The development team for the shooter is made up of industry veterans, with many of its employees having previously worked on major AAA franchises like DOOM, Quake, Call of Duty, and The Last of Us.

Set in a dystopian city ruled by an AI known only as “THE SYSTEM”, DEFECT will pit players in multiplayer matches consisting of four teams of four players each. These matches will offer intense close-quarters firefights with dynamic multi-objective battles, where players can make use of their futuristic weapons and other tech. For those that prefer single-player gameplay, DEFECT will offer a “deep offline experience”.

The main action has been described as being completely HUD-less, with players having to make use of the environment around them to check for important details. The studio has noted that it was inspired by classic titles like SWAT, and more recent ones like Ready or Not for this aspect. This also means that just about any of the in-game levels’ walls can be destroyed with the creative use of weapons and gadgets.

Players will also have to pick from a variety of factions, that range from THE SYSTEM’s police force, rogue police elements, or different gangs, and objectives will revolve around either disrupting the setting by, for example, assassinating important targets or smuggling guns, or upholding the status quo if you decide to align with THE SYSTEM.

The soundtrack for DEFECT also promises to be quite intense, since Mick Gordon of DOOM (2016) fame, so we expect there to be plenty of heavy tracks punctuated by deep bass drums and a mix of electronic and regular musical instruments. For more details about the shooter, check out our thoughts.

Speaking to 4Gamer (translation via Eurogamer), executive producer Lee Song clarified that the studio has “no reason” not to launch on PS5. However, it’s not a decision that’s up to NCSoft.

“We would like to do it, but it is not something we can decide on our own, so we would like to proceed with discussions.”

In a separate interview with Game.Watch, Song revealed that it’s “technically possible” to release the MMO on PS5 but it’s still “under discussion.” Again, this isn’t hard confirmation, but perhaps if there’s enough interest, it could receive a port.

Horizon Steel Frontiers is targeting a worldwide launch by the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027. Interestingly, Guerrilla Games is allegedly working on its own Horizon multiplayer game, rumored as far back as September 2024 and reportedly its next project. Meanwhile, the next single-player Horizon adventure is seemingly a way off.

When asked about the differences between Decima Engine and Unreal Engine 5, Lee praised Guerrilla Games’ technical expertise, especially when it comes to Decima’s ability to deliver “stunning graphics and amazing asset quality”. He also noted that bringing over those high quality assets to work with Unreal Engine 5 posed its own set of challenges.

“Horizon Steel Frontiers is being developed using Unreal Engine 5,” said Lee. “The original Decima engine is incredible — it delivered stunning graphics and amazing asset quality that made Horizon so iconic. Bringing those high-quality resources over to Unreal Engine 5 was no small challenge.”

As for the development of the title. Lee also spoke about collaborating with Guerrilla Games to make sure that the artistic vision of the Horizon franchise would be captured perfectly with Horizon Steel Frontiers. He also spoke about the impressive capabilities of Unreal Engine 5 to accomplish this vision.

“We worked closely with Guerrilla to make sure we preserved the visual fidelity of the original, while creating gameplay that feels unique to Steel Frontiers,” he said. “Leveraging Unreal Engine 5’s powerful graphics capabilities, we’re able to deliver breathtaking visuals and smooth multiplayer experiences across both mobile and PC (PURPLE).”

Horizon Steel Frontiers was unveiled earlier this week, and will be coming to PC, iOS and Android. The title is set to feature many of the more iconic aspects of Guerrilla Games’ Horizon series, including the ability to use certain Machines as mounts to explore the world. However, along with this, it is also slated to feature plenty of its own unique gameplay features. Lee had spoken about these features during the title’s announcement.

“We’ve added unique, original gameplay elements to the process of taking down giant machines,” he said. “For example, after destroying a specific part of a machine, you can quickly approach and climb onto it using a Pullcaster, set traps on the damaged part, and inflict status effects.”

The MMO will focus around players gathering in the Deadlands alongside thousands of other hunters in order to take on the threat posed by the Machines. It was announced with a pair of trailers, one of which showcased the gameplay that made it quite easy to draw comparisons with Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise.

NCSoft has also noted that Horizon Steel Frontiers is being developed by making extensive use of AI tools across its development pipeline, from programming to the creation of art. The company also noted that other studios are also using these tools, and that we will get to see more titles use the technology in similar ways moving forward.

Along with this, Guerrilla Games is also reportedly working on its own multiplayer game based on the Horizon universe. For more details, check out our coverage.

“Just to clear up some confusion I’ve seen, the newly announced NCSoft Horizon MMO is different from the multiplayer Horizon game that’s in development at Guerrilla Games,” wrote Schreier on social media. “That one is Guerrilla’s next big project.”

Whether this multiplayer game in development at Guerrilla Games will be a full-fledged sequel or a smaller project similar to Ghost of Tsushima’s Legends mode is currently unknown. However, with Schreier noting that the scale of the project is “big”, it is likely going to be a much more in-depth multiplayer experience rather than just being a spin-off.

While Guerrilla Games has been known for its work on the single-player-only Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, the studio is far from a stranger to multiplayer titles. Guerrilla Games first started coming to prominence in the PS3 era thanks to its work on the Killzone franchise, which featured single-player campaigns as well as elaborate multiplayer competitive modes that showcased their FPS gameplay.

However, Killzone: Shadow Fall was the last title the studio had worked on in the franchise before eventually moving on to the Horizon series.

Horizon Steel Frontiers was officially unveiled earlier this month by NCSoft. The title doesn’t yet have a release date. However, the company has confirmed that it will be coming to PC, iOS and Android. NCSoft has described the multiplayer title as tapping into quite a few of the things that are iconic to the Horizon franchise while also featuring unique gameplay elements of its own.

“We’ve added unique, original gameplay elements to the process of taking down giant machines,” said executive producer Sung-Gu Lee during the announcement. “For example, after destroying a specific part of a machine, you can quickly approach and climb onto it using a Pullcaster, set traps on the damaged part, and inflict status effects.”

The title will also have quite a bit of emphasis on giving players plenty of customisation options, ranging from body type to hair and makeup and even the choice of tribe from between the Nora, the Tenakth, the Utaru and the Oseram.

“In Horizon Steel Frontiers, every player is a hero,” said Lee. “We’ve put great care into customization, allowing you to fully express your individuality—even down to the smallest details. During character creation, we’ve incorporated the tribes from the original Horizon world.”

Interestingly, NCSoft has also noted that it is making extensive use of AI for the development of Horizon Steel Frontiers. Among the things for which AI is being used include coding as well as art. The company also noted that other game development companies are also using similar tools, and that we will see it becoming a lot more common in the coming years.

Just to clear up some confusion I've seen, the newly announced NCSoft Horizon MMO is different from the multiplayer Horizon game that's in development at Guerrilla Games. That one is Guerrilla's next big project

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2025-11-13T13:59:15.100Z

The company stated that AI was used for a variety of things in the development of its upcoming games like Horizon Steel Frontiers and Aion 2, ranging from programming all the way up to art. The company also noted that we will see AI being used a lot more throughout the industry in the future.

“We’re testing and receiving assistance internally through collaborations with basic NPCs and combat,” said the company (via machine translation). “Since we’re an action RPG, we don’t play with a large number of players, but rather determine the optimal number of players, and we receive assistance in various aspects. Internally, we also rely on AI for production, from coding to art. It ‘s being widely adopted in the field, and I think the technologies will gradually become known. The Horizon Steel Frontiers development team is also the one most eager to utilize AI. It’s being used a lot, and you’ll see that games coming out after Aion 2 will greatly increase their use of AI.”

Horizon Steel Frontiers was unveiled earlier this week by NCSoft, and is currently in development for PC, iOS and Android. As its name implies, the title takes place in the world of the Horizon games by Guerrilla Games – more specifically in the Deadlands – and will revolve around hunters coming together to hunt down the Machines. It will also carry over many of the gameplay elements that the Horizon series is known for, including being able to use certain Machines as mounts to explore the world.

That’s not to say that the upcoming MMO will feature 1-to-1 gameplay from Guerrilla’s titles, however. Some aspects of the original games, like the Pullcaster, will be changed in a way to make more sense for multiplayer battles, with executive producer Sung-Gu Lee also confirming that there will be unique gameplay elements that go with recognisable parts of the title.

“We’ve added unique, original gameplay elements to the process of taking down giant machines,” said Lee. “For example, after destroying a specific part of a machine, you can quickly approach and climb onto it using a Pullcaster, set traps on the damaged part, and inflict status effects.”

Horizon Steel Frontiers will also feature quite a bit of player customisation, with Lee noting that players will be able to “fully express your individuality”, even down to the smallest details. This means that there will also be a robust character creator that also allows players to choose aspects like their tribe along with things like body type, hair and makeup, among other things.

The MMO doesn’t yet have a release date yet. However, NCSoft has confirmed that it won’t be available through Steam or Epic Games Store. Instead, it will be available through the company’s own game launcher, dubbed PURPLE.

Many of the series’ elements, from bow combat to using Machines as mounts carry over, but others, like the Pullcaster, have been repurposed in different ways. As executive producer Sung-Gu Lee notes, “We’ve added unique, original gameplay elements to the process of taking down giant machines. For example, after destroying a specific part of a machine, you can quickly approach and climb onto it using a Pullcaster, set traps on the damaged part, and inflict status effects.”

Of course, blowing off a Machine’s weapon and using it yourself is also present but now you can carry them on mounts and bring them into other fights. There’s also an emphasis on hunters taking on different roles and working together, with melee weapons like two-handed swords and dual blades showcased. Oh, and for the first time in the franchise, you’ll create your own character.

“In Horizon Steel Frontiers, every player is a hero,” said Sung-Gu Lee. “We’ve put great care into customization, allowing you to fully express your individuality—even down to the smallest details. During character creation, we’ve incorporated the tribes from the original Horizon world.” After choosing a tribe – with the Nora, Tenakth, Utaru and Oseram returning – you can adjust body type, hair, makeup and more.

Horizon Steel Frontiers doesn’t have a release date just yet but it’s interesting to note that it won’t be coming to PlayStation. Furthermore, its PC version seemingly won’t be available on Steam or Epic Games Store but through NCSOFT’s proprietary launcher, PURPLE. Check out the official site for more details.

While NCSoft will likely have Aion 2 take a prominent spot at the event, complete with a playable demo showcasing character creation and a new take on one of the franchise’s fan-favourite dungeon, it is also slated to feature a yet-to-be-unveiled title, which is believed to be an MMORPG based on Sony’s and Guerrilla Games’ Horizon franchise. The title, referred to internally as Project Skyline, first came to light thanks to a series of leaks and rumours.

The report also indicates that the timeline lines up with reports that development on the Horizon MMO started back in 2021, which means that an official unveiling at a major event in 2025 would make sense for the company. G-Star 2025 is slated to start on November 13, and will go on until November 16.

Interestingly, a report from earlier this year had indicated that the Horizon MMO, also believed to be codenamed Project H, was seemingly being cancelled. The report at the time indicated that Project H, along with Project J and Pantera had their development halted. However, a later report indicated that while Project H has been cancelled, it was a completely different game than the Horizon MMO that NCSoft was working on with Guerrilla Games.

Along with Aion 2 and maybe even the Horizon MMO, NCSoft will also bring Cinder City to G-Star 2025. The title was officially unveiled back in August, and is slated for release on PC and consoles some time in 2026. Cinder City has been described as a tactical shooter that takes place in a dystopian take on Seoul. This means that the title will also allow players to explore in-game versions of real-world locations in Korea, including Samseong-dong, and Noyeong-dong.

“Cinder City is a game name that conveys the meaning of humanity in the future, facing a serious crisis, saving the world as a spark of hope in a ruined, decadent city.” said BigFire Games CEO and project lead Jaehyun Bae in the game’s announcement. “BigFire Games will work together to do our best to develop the game in order to satisfy players around the world.”

Cinder City was originally announced back in November 2022. At the time, it was only known as Project LLL, and was described as being an open-world third-person shooter. When it was first announced, Bae had spoken about wanting to develop a new take on the multiplayer shooter genre that can stand apart from popular battle royales and looter shooters. To achieve this, Cinder City is going to feature a host of different play styles, as well as elements of other NCSoft games.