{"id":8381,"date":"2026-08-19T15:17:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/horizon-hunters-gathering-live-service-removal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T15:17:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T15:17:53","slug":"horizon-hunters-gathering-live-service-removal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/horizon-hunters-gathering-live-service-removal\/","title":{"rendered":"Guerrilla Removes Live-Service Elements From Horizon Hunters Gathering"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guerrilla Games<\/a> is overhauling its upcoming title, Horizon Hunters Gathering, by removing its live-service features. This decision follows significant negative feedback from players, as reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. The studio is pivoting the game away from the online-focused model that was previously central to its design.<\/p>\n

The move represents a strategic shift for the developer and its parent company, Sony Interactive Entertainment. Initially conceived as a multiplayer experience with persistent online elements, Horizon Hunters Gathering will now be restructured. According to the report, the development team is responding directly to concerns raised during recent playtesting and community discussions.<\/p>\n

Background and Strategic Context<\/h2>\n

The decision to strip live-service mechanics from the project comes amid broader industry turbulence. Several high-profile live-service titles from major publishers have struggled to maintain player populations and profitability. Sony has not been immune to this trend, having previously cancelled or delayed other online service projects.<\/p>\n

Horizon Hunters Gathering was first announced as a cooperative online game set in the popular Horizon universe. The original concept featured persistent world elements, seasonal content drops, and microtransactions. These are the specific features that are now being removed or heavily modified.<\/p>\n

Player Feedback and Development Response<\/h2>\n

Sources indicate that Guerrilla Games collected extensive player data during beta tests. The feedback reportedly highlighted concerns over gameplay loop repetition, monetization pressure, and the dilution of the single-player narrative experience that the series is known for. The studio has taken this criticism seriously enough to initiate a fundamental redesign.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time Guerrilla has adjusted course on a project. The studio previously cancelled an online multiplayer game set in the Horizon universe last year. That project, separate from Hunters Gathering, was shelved to allow the team to focus on other initiatives. The current overhaul suggests a similar reassessment of the studio’s online ambitions.<\/p>\n

Implications for the Broader Live-Service Market<\/h2>\n

The reversal by Guerrilla adds to a growing narrative about the viability of the live-service model. Industry analysts note that success in this space is highly concentrated among a few dominant titles. Forcing a successful single-player franchise into an online format carries significant risk of alienating its core audience.<\/p>\n

Sony has previously stated that it plans to launch several live-service games<\/a> by fiscal year 2025. However, recent delays and cancellations indicate a more cautious approach is being taken. The company is reassessing which projects truly warrant the live-service label and which should remain traditional single-player experiences.<\/p>\n

What This Means for the Game’s Release<\/h2>\n

Removing live-service elements will likely impact the development timeline and the game’s final structure. The title is now expected to be released as a premium standalone game, potentially with optional cooperative play. The exact nature of the redesigned multiplayer mode, if any, remains unclear.<\/p>\n

Guerrilla Games has not yet issued an official public statement regarding the specific changes outlined in the Bloomberg report. The studio is expected to provide details following an internal restructuring of the development roadmap. Further announcements are anticipated at upcoming industry events or through official PlayStation<\/a> channels.<\/p>\n

The decision marks a notable reset for a project that was once a cornerstone of Sony’s live-service expansion plans. The coming months will likely reveal whether other upcoming PlayStation titles face similar reconsiderations as the company recalibrates its online strategy. For now, Horizon fans await confirmation on how the beloved franchise will evolve in its next iteration.<\/p>\n

Source: Bloomberg<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guerrilla Games is overhauling its upcoming title, Horizon Hunters Gathering, by removing its live-service features. This decision follows significant negative feedback from players, as reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. The studio is pivoting the game away from the online-focused model that was previously central to its design. The move represents a strategic shift for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8382,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[388],"tags":[714,8258,9789,3257,2410,1501,761,1503,4986],"class_list":["post-8381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-games","tag-development","tag-guerrilla-games","tag-horizon-hunters-gathering","tag-live-service","tag-live-service-games","tag-playstation","tag-sony-interactive-entertainment","tag-sony-playstation","tag-video-game-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delimiter.online\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}