Guerrilla Games’ project, which was supposed to be another game service in PlayStation’s portfolio, faced harsh criticism during early testing. Sony is now hastily rebuilding the concept.
PlayStation has decided to restart development of Horizon Hunters Gathering. The negative player reaction to the results of several closed tests was so severe that the platform’s management ordered a complete rethink. Bloomberg reports this, citing informed sources. Work on the updated version of the project allegedly began back in June.
The main change concerns the very core of the game. Sony plans to abandon a significant portion of the game-as-a-service elements and transform the project into a more traditional co-op action game with a story mode and a much smaller scale. This isn’t just a tweak—it’s a change of direction. The company intends to rethink the original direction of Horizon Hunters Gathering and focus on a familiar co-op format, without constant updates and monetization based on the Gathering Asset Model.
The Guerrilla Games team has until December to present a new vision to management and convince them of the viability of the updated concept. If this doesn’t happen, the project could be permanently canceled. Most of the developers will be transferred to another project, which will also undergo an internal review by the end of the year.
Horizon Hunters Gathering, in essence, is dead even before its full release. Its future now depends solely on how convincing the new version of the game proves. Against the backdrop of a string of failed service projects from Sony—just remember Concord or the canceled God of War and Marvel’s Spider-Man games—this is yet another warning sign that the Japanese giant is seriously struggling with live services.
What was expected and what went wrong?
Horizon Hunters Gathering was announced in February 2026 as a multiplayer spin-off of the Horizon universe. Players were invited to hunt machines together, choosing heroes with different combat styles and unique abilities. Two modes are available: fighting off waves of enemies and multi-stage challenges with changing conditions, with the option to meet in a shared hub between missions.
However, the announcement is shaping up to be one of the most lukewarm receptions of the year. The community criticized the project for its inclusive hero skins and, most importantly, its game-as-a-service format. Two closed beta tests were held in the spring, and apparently the feedback was so poor that the developers stopped communicating afterward.
Now, in the next chapter of Horizon Hunters Gathering’s story, it’s up to the game’s developers to prove that it still has a chance. Created with an eye on the mistakes of past years, the new version of the game must convince not only Sony management but also skeptical fans. There’s little time left—until December, when the final verdict will arrive.
