Sony Announces Horizon Hunters Gathering, a Live Service Co-Op Action Game for PS5 and PC

Guerilla Games has announced its next project, Horizon Hunters Gathering, a co-op action title set in the universe of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. The PvE multiplayer title will let players hunt beastly machines from the Horizon games to earn rewards. Horizon Hunters Gathering will be released on PS5 and PC at some point, with a closed playtest planned for the end of February.

Calling the game a “new chapter in the Horizon universe,” Guerrilla said Hunters Gathering draws on the studio's multiplayer experience from its work on the Killzone franchise. Horizon Hunters Gathering is a tactical co-op action game where a team of up to three players go on “challenging and replayable” hunts to take down machines. Guerrilla said the game's combat is “tactical, reactive, and deeply skill-based”.

In an accompanying announcement video, the studio detailed the game's combat, modes, world, and story. Guerrilla introduced three playable characters who will be available during the upcoming playtest, but the studio said the game's roster of heroes will grow.

Horizon Hunters Gathering Features

The three hunters shown in the announcement come with distinct abilities and playstyles across Tank, Support, and Tactician classes. Players will have to work together tactically to take down machines in combat focussed on melee and ranged weapons. There's a rogue-lite perks and weapons upgrade system that allow players to power up on each hunt.

At launch, Horizon Hunters Gathering will come with four maps, each of which house the titular Hunters' Gathering at the centre, where heroes can tweak their loadout, upgrade their gear, and team up for the next hunt. Players can also customise their own campsite and hang out with their friends at the gathering.

In the first playtest, the game will feature two game modes: Machine Incursion, where players take on waves of machines culminating in a boss fight; and Cauldron Descent, where hunters take on a longer, multi-stage trial inside a cauldron. Machine Incursion also features a Battle Royale-style shrinking play area. Guerrilla said they'll take player feedback from the playtest to evolve the two modes.

Horizon Hunters Gathering Playtest

Horizon Hunters Gathering will also feature a narrative campaign that can be played solo or in co-op. Guerrilla said that the game's story will be part of the Horizon universe's canon.

Sony and Guerrilla confirmed that Horizon Hunters Gathering will support cross-play between PS5 and PC, along with cross-progression support when users are logged in and save their game using the same PSN account. A “small-scale" closed playtest will be available to users part of the PlayStation Beta Program on PC and PS5 at the end of February.

Horizon Hunters Gathering does not have a launch date yet. The game will arrive as part of PlayStation's live service push that has yielded mixed results in the past. While the Sony-backed multiplayer game Helldivers 2 was a big hit, the company's hero shooter Concord failed to leave a dent and was taken offline within weeks of release.

Sony has also cancelled multiple live service projects, including multiplayer games set in The Last of Us and God of War universes. The PlayStation parent is also set to release Bungie's extraction shooter, Marathon, in March.