The post-apocalyptic world of Horizon has captured the imagination of PlayStation players the world over, following Aloy’s journey throughout a decrepit, mechanized reimagining of the United States. Rumors of a more expansive Horizon MMO have been swirling around for some time now, and now some real weight has been added to the scales. However, if the latest tidings turn out to be true, then those hoping to jump in on PS5 could be left sorely disappointed.
According to the sleuthing of ‘Kurakasis’ over on Twitter, the Horizon MMO – currently operating under ‘Project Skyline’ but purportedly set to launch as ‘Land of Salvation’ – is being developed by Guild Wars 2 studio NCSoft in Unreal Engine 5. Sony and NCSoft partnered up back in November to “deliver a new and enjoyable experience” together, and it appears that Horizon will be the recipient of said experience sometime after 2025.
However, the most interesting tidbit surrounds the reported platforms – more specifically, the lack of a mention of the PS5. That’s right, based on Kurakasis’ report the Horizon MMO will only materialize on PC and Mobile. Whether or not a PS5 port will arrive further down the line remains to be seen, but current job listings fail to mention Sony’s console as a launch destination. Needless to say, potentially skipping out on the prospect of becoming one of the best PS5 games would be a peculiar move to say the least, especially considering the presence of some of the best MMOs like Final Fantasy 14, Destiny 2, and Elder Scrolls Online on console.
Additionally, the Horizon MMO coming to mobile may leave a few heads scratched. But considering AAA games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil Village, and Death Stranding Director’s Cut are all making their way to mobile – at least the iPhone 15 line – it’s not a stretch to expect Unreal Engine 5 games to arrive by the time its speculated release window rolls around.
When it comes to gameplay on mobile, it’s easy to prematurely dismiss the MMO experience as being any good due to the exorbitant HUDs that are typically required to manage everything from bag space to combat and other macros. However, Pearl Abyss’ Black Desert Online already does a good job of making its mobile offering thumb-friendly, so we can imagine NCSoft will be looking to its fellow countryfolk for inspiration.
Regardless of how the Horizon MMO comes out in the wash, we can only hope that we’ll be able to add it to our new PS5 games catalog at some point. With “around 140” people from the Lineage division supposedly working on it as of September 2023, it’s certainly a grand undertaking. Should it not make the cut as far as PS5 exclusives are concerned, then many will be left twiddling their thumbs, be it on mobile or otherwise.
With that being said, at least there’s the Guerrilla Horizon multiplayer game still to look forward to for Team Blue. But considering the current multiplayer landscape – the recently-axed The Last of Us Online being the most foreboding example – the studio is going to have to take care when balancing its multiplayer output against the singleplayer experiences that, like Naughty Dog, brought it to the fore.