Guerrilla Games began rebooting Horizon Hunters Gathering in June 2026 to remove live service mechanics following poor feedback from early private and closed playtests held earlier this year [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The game, a multiplayer co-op spin-off from the Horizon series, was originally designed as a live service game featuring episodic narrative, wave-based survival mode, and roguelite elements [1, 2, 4, 5].
The reboot shifts focus to a traditional multiplayer co-op experience with a story mode and a smaller scope, aiming for a more focused and stable gameplay loop [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Arjan Bak, the game director, described the core gameplay as involving "tactical, reactive, and deeply skill-based combat," building on Horizon’s precision and team play dynamics with "challenging and replayable hunts" [2].
The pivot comes amid wider challenges at Sony, which has faced multiple setbacks and cancellations in its live service ambitions, including titles like Concord, The Last of Us multiplayer, and God of War live service projects [1, 4, 5]. Despite the broader corporate optimism voiced by PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino—who said live service games remain key for engaging users worldwide—the company is recalibrating after these failures [4].
Many developers who had been working on Horizon Hunters Gathering are now being reassigned to another Guerrilla project slated for evaluation alongside this reboot at the end of 2026 [1, 2, 4, 5]. The rebooted Horizon Hunters Gathering must impress PlayStation executives by the December 31, 2026 milestone date [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Meanwhile, the next mainline single-player Horizon game remains in early development and is still years away [2, 4, 5].
Horizon Hunters Gathering was first announced in February 2026 as a live service multiplayer spin-off and underwent early closed playtests that year, which prompted the decision to reboot [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Guerrilla’s changes reflect the studio’s efforts to realign the project with player expectations and internal goals ahead of the year-end review.
