Developer Guerrilla and publisher Sony have revealed Horizon Hunters Gathering, a rather curiously-named entry in the Horizon franchise, and it combines three-player tactical action with a new, more cartoony art style.
In an announcement post on the PlayStation Blog, game director Arjan Bak says Horizon Hunters Gathering draws on Guerrilla’s «experience from the Killzone multiplayer titles and the momentum of Horizon Zero Dawn» to create a game in which you’ll team up with others «to protect a world under threat from deadly machines».
Bak says combat in Horizon Hunters Gathering will be «tactical, reactive, and deeply skill-based». It looks like there will be a number of game modes, each of which will task you and your squad with taking on «challenging and replayable hunts».
In the announcement post, Guerrilla reveals two modes: Machine Incursion, which Bak describes as a wave-based mode in which you’ll take on hordes of machines and «a formidable boss», and Cauldron Descent, a «longer, multi-stage trial» featuring «ever-changing rooms».
It looks as though Horizon Hunters Gathering will feature set characters with specific skills and loadouts, rather than customizable avatars, although there will be a «roguelite perk system» to help you craft different builds.
The titular Hunters Gathering will serve as a central hub between missions, and it’ll also be where you customize Hunters, upgrade your gear, and buy things from different vendors.
In essence, Horizon Hunters Gathering looks rather like Guerrilla’s take on an Elden Ring Nightreign or a Monster Hunter, and given the sales numbers those games have managed to accrue, I can’t say I’m particularly surprised by this move.
This is, presumably, the multiplayer Horizon game on which Guerrilla announced it was working all the way back in 2022, although it’s possible the studio has another multiplayer project in store that’s yet to be announced.
It’s not the only multiplayer Horizon game on the…er, in the offing, either. In November last year, Sony and NCSoft announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO that is, in fact, very much alive and well, contrary to rumor.
We don’t have a release date or window for Horizon Hunters Gathering yet, but it’ll arrive on PC and PS5 when it does launch. Stay tuned for more.
