Rumor Confidence: High (Tier 1 Sources)
Primary Sources: Jason Schreier (Bloomberg), Kotaku
Project Focus: Horizon Hunters Gathering (Multiplayer)
Guerrilla Games Shifts Fire: Multiplayer Over Mainline
If you were expecting to wrap up Aloy’s trilogy in the next couple of years, it’s time for a reality check. Our latest intel confirms that Guerrilla Games has parked the next mainline Horizon entry in the slow lane. While a third single-player game is technically in the works, it’s clearly not the studio's primary focus right now. Instead, the team is going all-in on Horizon Hunters Gathering, the recently announced multiplayer spin-off.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier dropped the hammer on expectations, stating he understands that "most" of the Amsterdam-based developer is currently grinding on the multiplayer project. This isn't just a small side-team experiment; it’s a full-studio pivot that leaves the next massive open-world epic as a distant speck on the horizon.
Resource Reallocation
We’ve seen this play out before with other major studios, and it rarely means a quick turnaround for the flagship series. Sources familiar with the situation told Kotaku that the third Horizon game is a "ways off." More concerning for fans of the single-player experience is the report that staff originally assigned to the unannounced mainline sequel were "pulled over to help with Horizon Hunters Gathering."
When a studio starts cannibalizing its flagship team to support a spin-off, it tells us two things: Hunters Gathering is likely deep in production and needs the extra muscle to hit its milestones, and the mainline sequel hasn't even left the starting blocks in any significant way.
Our Take: The Long Wait Begins
At "In Game News," we've tracked Guerrilla’s growth from the Killzone days to the massive success of Zero Dawn and Forbidden West. This shift toward a "Live Service" or multiplayer-heavy model is a massive gamble. Moving "most" of the studio away from the core IP's narrative progression suggests Sony is hungry for a recurring revenue hit within the Horizon universe.
While we’re curious to see how the combat mechanics translate to a cooperative setting, the reality is that the "main" story is effectively on ice. If you’re waiting for the conclusion to the Far Zenith or Nemesis arcs, settle in—you’re going to be waiting a long time.