Horizon MMO for Mobile and PC Sparks PS5 Fan Outrage
▼ Summary
– NCSoft has officially announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, a mobile and PC MMO inspired by Guerrilla’s Horizon franchise, set in a post-apocalyptic Deadlands region.
– Players will create custom characters and engage in combat and customization alongside thousands of others in an online multiplayer experience.
– Guerrilla’s studio director praised the game’s unique identity and atmosphere while confirming it fits well within the Horizon universe.
– The announcement has drawn criticism from PlayStation fans who are disappointed the game is not initially coming to PS5, focusing on mobile and PC first.
– This release is part of Sony’s broader mobile strategy, following other titles like Ratchet & Clank: Galaxy Rangers, with no current release date announced.
NCSoft has officially unveiled Horizon Steel Frontiers, a massively multiplayer online game set in the Horizon universe, launching on mobile devices and PC. This confirmation follows earlier leaks about the project. The game transports players to the Deadlands, a post-apocalyptic frontier landscape drawing inspiration from the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. Participants will craft their own unique characters and join thousands of others in a shared online world focused heavily on combat and deep customization.
Jan-Bart Van Beek, Studio Director at Guerrilla Games, expressed his enthusiasm for the project. He mentioned that development teams at Guerrilla have already been playing the game together internally. He emphasized that Steel Frontiers possesses its own distinct tone and atmosphere, successfully brought to life by NCSoft’s developers, while still feeling authentically part of the Horizon universe. The balance between established lore and fresh experiences is what he finds most compelling.
However, the announcement has ignited significant discontent among dedicated PlayStation 5 owners. Coming just days after the reveal of a mobile-focused Ratchet & Clank title, many fans feel Sony is neglecting the console platform that originally established these beloved franchises. One fan expressed a common sentiment online, stating, “A new PlayStation game not coming to PlayStation, and the gameplay looks incredible. Please bring this to PS5.” While a eventual PS5 release remains a distinct possibility, the initial strategy clearly prioritizes capturing the vast mobile gaming audience.
Guerrilla Games, acting in a supervisory role for this title, reassured fans on social media that the studio continues its own work on additional cooperative Horizon experiences. The developer has been known to be working on its own separate multiplayer Horizon project for some time, which many anticipate will be formally announced in the near future.
This news provides further clarity on Sony’s expanding mobile gaming initiatives. Earlier in the week, the company announced Ratchet & Clank: Galaxy Rangers, a mobile-exclusive arena shooter. The official reveal of the long-rumored Horizon MMO from NCSoft, ahead of the G-STAR event in Korea, solidifies this strategic direction. The game is confirmed for PC and mobile, with no current plans for a PS5 version.
The released footage showcases hunters engaging with and taming robotic creatures, a hallmark of the Horizon series. The major evolution in this MMO adaptation is the persistent online world shared with a massive player base. Van Beek’s comments from the press release elaborate that Horizon Steel Frontiers is a full-fledged MMORPG built specifically for mobile, allowing players to enter this world at any time. In the Deathlands, players become machine hunters, coexisting with thousands of others. This creates dynamic situations involving cooperation to defeat massive machines, competition with rival tribes, and conflicts over essential resources, a blend that generates unique, unscripted moments.
A key difference from the mainline games is that players will not control the protagonist Aloy. Instead, they will create and develop their own custom character, with personalization options designed to be consistent with the various tribes established in the Horizon lore. This ambitious adaptation appears poised to significantly broaden the franchise’s appeal, particularly in Asian markets, provided it retains the core gameplay mechanics that define the series. This move also contextualizes Sony’s recent legal actions against games perceived as clones of its intellectual property.
A specific release date has not been announced, but NCSoft has stated its intention to launch the title as soon as development is complete. Pre-registration for the game is expected to open shortly following its official announcement this week.
(Source: PushSquare)
