Report: Live-service removed from Horizon Hunters Gathering following negative player feedback

Sources indicate that Hunters Gathering is being redesigned as a traditional multiplayer game with a story mode and reduced scope. The overhaul reportedly began in June, and staff were told they have until December to meet the next milestone and show progress to executives.

Those working on the game will supposedly be "reassigned to a different project that will also be evaluated at the end of the year". Sources report that most of Guerrilla's staff shifted to Hunters Gathering after Horizon Forbidden West in 2022, while a smaller team continues work on a single-player sequel that "remains years from completion".

A PlayStation representative declined to comment on the matter to Bloomberg. Guerrilla announced Horizon Hunters Gathering earlier this year, conducting a closed playtest in North America and Europe from February to early March, followed by a second playtest in early May.

PlayStation has faced a multitude of challenges with its foray into live-service games. In 2024, Concord was withdrawn from sale after two weeks, and its developer, Firewalk Studios, was closed along with Neon Koi shortly thereafter. The company also cancelled live-service projects for God of War, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us, as well as other projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games.

Sony acquired Destiny developer Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2022, but ended development of Destiny 2 earlier this year. Its latest live-service title, Marathon, also saw low sales. In June, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino said that he wants to "revitalise" live-service projects through first- and third-party content.