A new report suggests that Horizon Forbidden West's follow-up will be an MMO from Guild Wars publisher NCsoft. Earlier this year, PlayStation owners dived back into Horizon’s rich, post-apocalyptic world to restore the fragments of a lost AI as the Nora outcast-turned-unlikely savior Aloy. While Horizon Forbidden West was somewhat overshadowed by the likes of Elden Ring, critics praised Guerilla Games’ latest open-world adventure as a vast improvement over 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn.
Fans have been left wondering what form the next installment of the budding Horizon franchise will take following Forbidden West’s February launch, and now that answer seems to be coming in the form of an MMO. Sony has reportedly struck a deal with Korean MMO studio NCsoft (known for its work on the Guild Wars series) to work on “new games using Sony's promising game IP.” As a source close to the matter reportedly told Korean news site MTN (via Eurogamer), the first of these mystery projects will be a Horizon-based MMO. This story is still unfolding, though, and details are scarce as of this writing.
Players Could Explore The World Of Horizon In A New MMO
This MMO would be the latest in a series of reported games set in the vast Horizon universe. Back in January, Sony announced Horizon Call of the Mountain, a VR title coming to PlayStation VR 2 that former Forbidden West designer Chris James promises will redefine AAA VR titles with its vibrant world and the VR 2 headset’s cutting-edge capabilities. Last month, Sony revealed that a PS5 remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn was also in the works, alongside an unidentified multiplayer title.
The Horizon MMO mentioned in this recent report could be that title, and the idea is a solid one. The world of Horizon Forbidden West already consists of various tribes and communities with their own jobs and cultures, which could lead to a massively multiplayer online experience nicely. Just like in popular MMOs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV, players could create their own avatars, form raiding parties with other s to hunt down Machines, and even earn a virtual living selling weapons or other supplies to travelers in one of the villages.
The wording of the report also hints that Sony and NCsoft could produce more multiplayer in the future if this supposed Horizon game is successful, possibly opening the door for MMO spin-offs based on God of War or Ghost of Tsushima. Only time will tell how this new partnership between Sony and NCsoft will play out, and their reported Horizon Forbidden West MMO follow-up hasn’t yet been officially confirmed.
