Guerrilla Games Reboots Horizon: Hunters Gathering

PlayStation’s next major Horizon multiplayer project is in serious trouble after negative player feedback during its beta, forcing Guerrilla Games to rethink core parts of the game. The co-op action title, Horizon: Hunters Gathering, has reportedly been rebooted internally, with developers now working under a tight deadline to prove the project can still deliver—while delays also threaten the studio’s next big single-player entry in the franchise.

Horizon: Hunters Gathering is one of two Horizon multiplayer efforts currently in development. Alongside Guerrilla’s co-op project, there’s Horizon Steel Frontiers, a MMORPG being developed by NCSoft. However, recent reports suggest Guerrilla’s title is struggling to find its footing with players, and that dissatisfaction has now escalated into a full internal restart.

Industry journalist Jason Schreier reported that after beta feedback this year, Guerrilla Games began rebooting Hunters Gathering in June, using anonymous developer sources. The central issue is described as the game’s service-driven approach, which reportedly failed to win over players and is now being removed entirely. The new direction is to convert the project into a more traditional co-op experience, with a story mode and a reduced overall scope compared to its earlier ambitions.

While the project has not been cancelled, the window for recovery is reportedly short. The same reporting states that developers have until December to present convincing results to leadership.

These setbacks are also being tied to broader changes in Sony’s publishing strategy since 2022, when the company leaned heavily into live-service games. The fallout has included high-profile failures such as Concord, and multiple projects that never reached the finish line, including multiplayer plans for The Last of Us and a multiplayer God of War effort that was linked to Bluepoint’s closure.

Even with Hunters Gathering potentially not surviving the reboot process, it’s framed as unlikely that Sony would shut down Guerrilla Games or abandon Horizon outright, given the studio’s size and the franchise’s importance.

Still, the damage from the latest turnaround is expected to extend beyond the multiplayer game itself. Schreier also reports that delays to Hunters Gathering are likely to affect Horizon 3, the next major solo installment. At present, a small team is said to be working on the next single-player Horizon, but it will “take several years” before it’s completed, based on sources close to the studio’s plans.

For players hoping to return to Horizon soon, the practical takeaway is that waiting is likely the safest bet. With Horizon: Hunters Gathering undergoing a major reset and Horizon 3 still far off, attention may shift to Horizon Steel Frontiers, which is described as moving closer to completion.