PlayStation reboots Horizon Hunters Gathering after poor playtests

gamingAug 19, 2026201,737

Horizon Hunters Gathering, the cartoonish multiplayer spin-off of the Horizon series, is being rebooted after negative playtest feedback triggered a major overhaul. Developers plan to strip out the game’s live-service elements and rework it into a smaller-scope, more traditional co-op experience focused on the core multiplayer loop. Posts specifically call out the shift away from live-service systems, note jarring character design choices likened to K-Pop Demon Hunters and commentary about Aloy-styling changes, and say the project could still be canceled despite the reboot. Reporters including Jason Schreier are named in coverage of the decision and of PlayStation’s broader live-service struggles.

Jason Schreier

@jasonschreier.bsky.social

BREAKING: PlayStation is rebooting the online game Horizon Hunters Gathering after negative playtest feedback. New plan is smaller scope, more traditional co-op multiplayer, no more live service. Yet another entry in PlayStation's ongoing live-service struggles: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

151745d ago

Jason Schreier626

As I've reported in the past, almost all of Guerrilla Games has been working on Horizon Hunters Gathering for the last few years, and the next mainline single-player Horizon game is still far, far away.

Higher Than Onix66

Horizon as a live service was a terrible idea after all???

Steve Vegvari 🔜 Gamescom51

All I want is Horizon 3 and to close out the trilogy so we can move on

Eddy47

any exec getting fired ??? no .....time to fire some devs then

Steve Hester29

I don’t think the number of people who GENUINELY want live service games is as high as publishers believe it is. As soon as I hear the phrase, I check out in the same way I hear “freemium”. My time is too short to be chasing FOMO bullshit.

Chef Andy Lunique22

I see a few comments from people who feel just as confused as I was when I saw this reveal. I thought it was a new IP. Why didn't take the engine and make it more "monster hunter." That would have been just fine. Expand on the world and other (cooler) characters

Quoting this

Alexelcapo110

Están colgaos y ese juego olía mierda de lejos.

barleybap36

You should subscribe to my live service where I come around to your house to eat your snacks and watch you play video games and sometimes comment on the video games and maybe occasionally curl up on the sofa and take a little nap.

⭐️ The cabbit of the stars ⭐️13

Sony pushing live-service games instead of unique single-player experiences is one of their worst decisions that they could make in recent times.

Sweet Plasmids (Simon) 🎮10

Out of all the franchises, Horizon probably had the biggest potential for live service. I’m thinking Monster Hunter style and Sony recognising the game is going no where and pivoting is a positive. Unfortunately it’s the colossal amount of money and time wasted here that is most disappointing.

Dan Johnson will design games for food7

I still think Horizon's combat - both weapons and enemies - is a fantastic fit for co-op multiplayer, and I hope the team can find, build, and release something they're proud of.

Sylverstone Khandr ✨6

I participated in the 1st playtest on PC, and yeah, it was absolutely boring as sin. My teammates and I were utterly confused at what we were doing, and finding the fun was non-existent. I'm glad that instead of outright cancellation, it's being scoped down and stripping out the live service crap.

Janette Reviews Indie Games for The Geekly Grind5

Seven times the charm I suppose. All those peevious failed live services were definitely flukes

Professor Fessor 🎮 Trails to Azure4

Sucks that the testing isn’t going well, but not being live service will likely make it a much better game. Certainly one that is easier to play decades from now.

Andrew | Hushed Pixel2

I really hope they by "traditional co-op multiplayer" they mean split screen I had to let my kid down when she was excited for Splatoon Raiders and wanted to play it with me.

Knoebel 🛬 Gamescom

@knoebel.bsky.social

PlayStation is rebooting 'Horizon Hunters Gathering' into a co-op game instead of a live service game following negative player feedback. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

3645d ago

KevandreCactus🌵4

That's what we call character growth Even if it's Sony

pastrami0299.bsky.social3

This game is getting canceled very quietly November 19th

Quoting this

Anthony Pham19

So, the only live service thing that really released was Marathon and Concord, and we saw how that's going. Helldivers 2 is likely their most successful live thing and that's from a third party studio. That's an entire generation of first party studios' games lost to the live service quagmire.

allison steele, organic human person10

i want this to be good because i love the franchise so much but oh god. i really don't see this ending well.

Michelle Flamm6

We've done this rodeo before

VGC

@videogameschronicle.com

PlayStation and Guerrilla Games co-op spin-off Horizon Hunters Gathering is reportedly being overhauled after poor testing feedback, with plans to strip out the game's live service elements. www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playsta...

3245d ago

MK Zero5

You mean to tell me that no one liked the live service BS that everyone hates and has been very vocal about hating for a long time? The real shocker is that they listened and did something about it!

Graham2

Surely this could have been foreseen before the announcement.

Quoting this

Jhonatan Carneiro2

Sério, imagina o que teria sido a geração do PS5 se a Sony não tivesse embargado nessa merda de GaaS?

GamesIndustry.biz

@gibiz.bsky.social

Reportes suggest Guerrilla Games is overhauling Horizon Hunters Gathering by removing its live-service features in response to negative player feedback www.gamesindustry.biz/report-live-...

2045d ago

Quoting this

XanaGear2

One of the most "who is the audience?" games I've ever seen.

IGN

@ign.com

PlayStation has reportedly rebooted the live-service game Horizon Hunters Gathering after negative feedback from playtests. https://bit.ly/4wxmKtr

2545d ago

Josh5

The negative feedback is we don’t want it

Quoting this

N.G.Chloe(Glassflowers: Pixiv Printify)3

Sony is really out here on a Generation Fumble, when their rival is Xbox. Really says something lol, but at least neither of them are Roblox

Eurogamer

@eurogamer.bsky.social

Horizon Hunters Gathering is reportedly being rebooted without its live service bits following negative playtest feedback www.eurogamer.net/horizon-hunt...

2045d ago

MK Zero1

"So, what do you guys think of the game?" It's just another live service piece of garbage and we hate it! WE HATE LIVE SERVICE! "Oh, ok, we'll take that stuff out and try again." ...wait what? You're actually listening and solving the issue?...🥲 oh my God this is unheard of.

Kold1

Nobody asked for this shit anyway

Quoting this

WonderJosk (Zona de Guardado)2

Que rabia me da no haberlo podido probar, tengo aun la beta en Steam y va a ser graciosisimo cuando le cambien hasta el nombre

Tom Phillips

@tomphillipseg.bsky.social

What an enormous failure PlayStation's live-service push has been www.ign.com/articles/pla...

1545d ago

Nabil Mehari2

It wasn't all bad, but these two (shown below) only make the push a 90% failure rather than 100%. Plus both were externally made, which makes the live service push look worse in some respects.

Rogue

@rogue.site

Sony's live service struggles continue as the publisher reboots the next Horizon title www.rogue.site/news/sony-co...

1445d ago

Nautilus

@nautilus.bsky.social

Boa tarde! Hoje mudou o horário, mas estamos entrando com o Café com Videogames para falar sobre o state of play de Phantom Blade Zero, Horizon Hunters sendo rebootado, impressões de Mortal Shell 2 e The Sinking City 2 Twitch: www.twitch.tv/nautiluslink Ytb: www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7_h...

uma imagem que diz "cafe com videogames", com uma imagem de phantom blade zero na esquerda, com o personagem de costas, segurando uma espada

845d ago

Philip Nato

@philipnatoart.bsky.social

Sony Rebooting Horizon Hunters Gathers after negative feedback. AAAAlll this money waisted chasing live service dragon. That’s why they’re going all digital to “maximize” profits. That’ll backfire too. With all the enthusiasts however small, not jumping onto the PS6. They’re panicking…

645d ago

gordonklarson.bsky.social

@gordonklarson.bsky.social

PlayStation promised investors 10 live-service games by 2026. Spent $3.6B on Bungie. Concord lasted a week. Today they are ripping live service out of Horizon Hunters Gathering after playtests said no. The roadmap survived. The games did not. #gamedev #gaming #PlayStation

545d ago

Cereal

@cerealdesu.bsky.social

www.bloomberg.com/news/article... Whoever (at sony) decided that they should say fuck it to finishing the trilogy of single player games in order to make another doomed attempt at brute forcing a live service cash grab is so, so smart. It's the kind of 5d chess no one else can comprehend.

745d ago

JorRaptor

@jorraptor.bsky.social

Horizon Hunters Gathering has been rebooted, per Jason Schreier. After negative player feedback from recent sessions, they are now planning to remove the live service component and make a more traditional co-op game. But it could also still be canned. What a waste of time.

445d ago

JorRaptor5

That it took them player feedback to realise this was not the way to go, shows that something is fundamentaly wrong with the leaders at Guerrilla Games. And that hurts, as I obviously love the studio. Years of dev time and 100s of millions wasted. Source: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Pixel Byte

@pixelbytegaming.bsky.social

Development of Horizon Hunters Gathering, the cartoonish multiplayer spin-off of the Horizon series, is being rebooted due to poor player feedback. pixelbytegaming.com/horizon-hunt...

545d ago

Gordon Little

@gord.games

They're finally waking up to the fact that live-service is, by default, a terrible idea.

You Have Until December
Horizon Hunters Gathering is undergoing a reboot per a new report by Bloomberg’s Jason Schrier. The title held playtests recently and, after taking in feedback, has decided to strip out the live service components. The title will now be a story-focused cooperative title.

The team will have until December to ‘impress executives with the next Milestone’. The report indicates that many of the game developers will be shifted to another project, which is also set to be evaluated ‘at the end of the year’.

The Horizon series began back in the PS4 generation, with a highly successful first entry. A second mainline title has been joined by less successful spin-offs, including a VR title and a LEGO retelling of the first game’s story.

545d ago

3 sources

bloomberg.comPlayStation Reboots ‘Horizon Hunters Gathering’ as Live-Service Strategy Struggles insider-gaming.comPlayStation Rebooting Horizon Hunters Gathering After Negative Feedback playfront.dePlayStation baut Horizon Hunters Gathering um: Das nächste Live-Service-Debakel

Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay and map leak onlinegaming PlayStation reboots Horizon Hunters Gathering after poor playtestsgaming

PlayStation reboots Horizon Hunters Gathering after poor playtests

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