A South Korean online publication known asMTNhas reported that an MMORPG based on thePlayStation-owned IP,Horizon, is currently in development at NCSoft, the South Korean company behind Guild Wars andGuild Wars 2. As transcribed byVGC, NCSoft is apparently still recruiting developers for the title, using the codename ‘Project H’ in the job listings.
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The Horizon series began with 2017’s PlayStation 4 exclusive (now also available on PC),Horizon Zero Dawn. Despite only being five years old, the franchise has quickly risen to become one of PlayStation’s most important IP, due to the near-universal acclaim both the original and its sequel, 2022’sHorizon Forbidden West, have received. Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG that launched in 2012, back then a solid competitor to the juggernautWorld of Warcraft. It’s had a robust playerbase throughout and has received multiple expansions, the most recent being 2022’s End of Dragons.
It was recentlyreportedthat a Horizon Zero Dawn remake/remaster was in the works, and part of this report claimed that an online multiplayer project was in development as well. Furthermore, it was believed that there would be customization based on the world’s various tribes, which could be referring to faction selection, akin to many MMORPGs. Last year, as reported byVGC, Guerilla Games, the developers behind the Horizon series, were looking for a Social Systems Designer “with a passion for player communities and social features.”
Sony has openly repeated its interest to get into the live-service space. Back in May, a financial briefing expressed the company’s goal to have over 12 first-party live-service titles by 2025. Given the popularity of the Horizon IP, it’s not unreasonable for PlayStation to want to use it for its live-service push. It is doing something similar withHorizon Call of The Mountain, a launch game for Sony’s upcomingPlayStation VR2.
The foundations of the single-player games fit well for an MMORPG, as they already include a robust weapon catalog, a skill-tree system, a vast open world, and as previously mentioned, multiple factions that players could align with. However, MMORPGs are in a very competitive space, as they often demand a lot of time, making it difficult for most players to play more than one. They’re also quite expensive to make due to the sheer amount of content they require. If true, it will be interesting see to how PlayStation fares in this space and how the title will be monetized, though it will undoubtedly be helped by the presence of Guild Wars 2 veterans.
