How Horizon Became Guerrilla’s Next Big Multiplayer World

When Horizon Zero Dawn launched in 2017, it arrived as a single-player open-world adventure headlined by Aloy, a lone hunter facing towering machines. Behind the scenes, though, Guerrilla Games was already thinking bigger. The studio now openly acknowledges that, from the earliest days of conceiving Horizon, it saw the universe as fertile ground for multiplayer and shared-world experiences. With a dedicated multiplayer game in development at Guerrilla and an MMO project underway with a partner studio, that long-term vision is finally becoming visible.

This article examines how Horizon evolved from a new single-player IP into a potential multiplayer ecosystem; why Guerrilla believed the setting was perfect for co-op and massively multiplayer experiences; and what the recent announcements signal for the future of the franchise.

From Aloy’s Journey to a Larger Horizon Universe

Guerrilla Games built its reputation with the Killzone series, a first-person shooter known for its multiplayer modes. Shifting to a third-person action RPG with Horizon wasn’t just a genre pivot; it was a full studio reinvention. According to interviews over the years, Guerrilla spent a long incubation period prototyping systems and world-building for Horizon, including machine ecology and tribal cultures.

While the final release of Horizon Zero Dawn centered on a solitary protagonist and a story-driven campaign, multiple elements of the design hinted at multiplayer potential:

• Large, open environments with distinct biomes and machine types.
• Combat systems based on tactics, positioning, and disabling machine components.
• Tribes, hunters, and traditions that could easily support multiple player roles.
• Cauldrons, bandit camps, and machine sites that resemble repeatable co-op dungeons.

At the time, none of these were framed publicly as multiplayer hooks. Yet Guerrilla’s leadership now says they viewed Horizon from the outset as a world that could host more than just Aloy’s story. The single-player games were the vanguard: a way to introduce the setting, machines, and themes before exploring additional formats.

Why Horizon’s World Fits Multiplayer So Well

Not every narrative-focused franchise adapts gracefully to shared-world modes or MMOs. Horizon’s post-post-apocalyptic setting, however, offers a combination of elements that collectively make it unusually suited to cooperative and multiplayer design.

1. Machines as Natural Raid Bosses

The machines of Horizon are practically tailor-made for group encounters. They are large, visually distinct, and built around breakable components and behavior patterns. In a multiplayer context:

• One player can focus on drawing aggro and surviving heavy hits.
• Another can coordinate precise shots against weak points and elemental canisters.
• Others can focus on support tasks such as setting traps, deploying overrides, or providing crowd control.

This structure maps neatly onto traditional MMO roles like tank, damage dealer, and support, while still allowing for Horizon’s trademark improvisational combat using traps, bows, ropes, and gadgets.

2. Tribal Societies and Player Identity

Horizon’s human societies are fragmented into tribes with distinctive aesthetics, customs, and military traditions. That lends itself well to multiplayer character creation and identity:

• Tribal origins can inform armor styles, skill emphases, and social hubs.
• Factions can host repeatable activities, reputation systems, and seasonal storylines.
• Player gatherings around major settlements and hunting grounds fit naturally into the lore.

The rich cultural differences showcased between the Nora, Oseram, Carja, Tenakth, and others provide a narrative-friendly way to diversify player experiences without breaking established canon.

3. Cauldrons, Ruins, and Repeatable Content

Cauldrons in the mainline Horizon games already resemble cooperative dungeons: multi-stage challenges with environmental hazards, puzzles, and a climactic boss encounter. In a multiplayer game, similar structures can be expanded into:

• Instanced dungeons tailored for small groups.
• Progressive difficulty modes that reward coordination.
• Endgame activities focused on rare machine parts and crafting.

Meanwhile, ancient ruins and machine-infested territories can be repurposed into instanced or open-world activities that rotate over time, creating a sense of ongoing discovery.

The Rise of Horizon Multiplayer Projects

In recent years, Guerrilla and Sony have openly confirmed that the Horizon universe is expanding in multiplayer directions. Public information from PlayStation’s official channels and industry reporting paints the outline of at least two major projects.

Guerrilla’s Own Co-op Action Game

Guerrilla is developing a cooperative action game set in the Horizon universe for PlayStation 5 and PC, with an emphasis on three-player hunts against deadly machines. According to PlayStation’s official announcement, the game aims to build on the tactical precision of Horizon’s combat while embracing the dynamics of team play, allowing up to three players to act as Hunters working together to protect the world.¹

Key features highlighted so far include:

• Three-player cooperative hunts against machine threats.
• Cross-play and cross-progression between PS5 and PC via PlayStation accounts.¹
• A more stylized art direction, closer to an animated film than the photorealism of the mainline titles.²
• Roguelite-inspired mission structures with evolving perks and loadouts during runs, as reported by early previews and coverage.

This co-op project effectively turns the hunting fantasy at the heart of Horizon into the main attraction, echoing elements of games such as Monster Hunter while retaining the setting’s unique machine-ecology and tribal dynamics.

A Separate MMO-Style Horizon Experience

In parallel, external reporting indicates that a separate Horizon MMO project is in the works at a partner studio. Regional press in South Korea and industry coverage have previously reported that NCSoft entered into an agreement with Sony for a Horizon-related online project codenamed “Project H.”³ While details remain unannounced, the description aligns with a large-scale online RPG or MMO inspired by Horizon’s world.

If and when it formally launches, such a project could approach Horizon from a different angle compared to Guerrilla’s own three-player co-op title, potentially emphasizing:

• Persistent worlds with large player populations.
• Long-term progression arcs including crafting, housing, or guild-like tribes.
• Broad world events built around machine incursions and environmental threats.

Together, the co-op game and the rumored MMO suggest that Sony views Horizon not merely as a single-player franchise but as a flexible universe capable of supporting multiple live-service experiences.

From Single-Player to Shared Worlds: Design Implications

Transitioning from tightly curated single-player campaigns to multiplayer-focused experiences presents both opportunities and challenges. Guerrilla’s approach appears to draw on lessons from Horizon’s existing strengths while adapting them to the realities of cooperative and online play.

Preserving Tactical Depth in Co-op

Horizon’s combat is built on layering systems: elemental weaknesses, component targeting, traps, mobility, and stealth. To keep that depth in multiplayer, designers must ensure that:

• Each player feels individually impactful, not just absorbed into collective damage output.
• Machine behavior scales appropriately with additional players without turning fights into chaotic bullet-hell.
• Support actions like deploying traps or using overrides remain highly valuable.

The co-op game’s emphasis on “tactical, reactive, and deeply skill-based” combat underlines Guerrilla’s intent to preserve the nuance of Horizon’s encounters rather than simplifying them for multiplayer.¹

Storytelling Without Aloy at the Center

In the main series, Aloy’s personal journey is the emotional anchor. Multiplayer spin-offs will likely focus on original characters and ensembles. This shift demands a different narrative strategy:

• Shorter, episodic arcs that multiple players can experience together.
• Shared hubs where story beats unfold via NPCs and evolving world states.
• Personalization hooks, such as backstories or choices that differentiate hunters.

This type of design is common in live-service titles, where storytelling must accommodate players joining at different times and progressing at different speeds. The challenge is to retain Horizon’s emotional resonance and thematic depth in a more flexible format.

How Guerrilla’s History Informs Its Multiplayer Future

While Horizon appeared initially as a clean break from Guerrilla’s Killzone legacy, the studio’s long experience with competitive multiplayer is now resurfacing. Sony Interactive Entertainment has also signaled a major focus on live-service and multiplayer titles in its strategic updates to investors.⁴

Bringing these strands together, Guerrilla can leverage:

• Technical expertise from prior online shooters.
• World-building and systemic design honed through two major Horizon RPGs.
• Platform support from PlayStation’s wider online infrastructure and PC expansion.

Multiplayer Horizon projects thus sit at the intersection of Guerrilla’s franchise strengths and Sony’s portfolio strategy, which has emphasized both blockbuster single-player games and growth in networked experiences.

Potential Player Roles and Team Dynamics

Although details are still emerging, the structure of Horizon’s world and combat naturally suggests several archetypes for cooperative play. The following table outlines possible roles players might adopt in a Horizon-inspired co-op or MMO environment.

Even if the final design differs, this kind of role distribution demonstrates how Horizon’s existing toolset can easily expand into cooperative gameplay, rewarding coordination without eliminating the improvisational feel of solo hunts.

What This Means for Single-Player Horizon Fans

The prospect of multiple multiplayer projects naturally raises questions for players who primarily love Horizon for its story-heavy solo campaigns. Key considerations include:

• Single-player games remain central. Industry reporting and PlayStation’s own messaging emphasize that flagship story-driven games continue to be a pillar of Sony’s first-party strategy.⁴
• Multiplayer spin-offs can deepen the universe. Co-op and MMO projects can explore side stories, distant regions, and new factions that wouldn’t fit neatly into Aloy’s arc.
• There is room for different tones. Stylized art directions and ensemble casts allow lighter, more playful interpretations alongside the main series’ more grounded and dramatic tone.

For fans, the key takeaway is that multiplayer doesn’t replace Horizon’s single-player identity; instead, it adds layers. Players uninterested in online play can continue to engage with the mainline series, while those curious about shared hunts and social hubs gain new ways to inhabit the world.

Looking Ahead: A Shared Future for Horizon

Eight years after Horizon Zero Dawn introduced Aloy to the world, Guerrilla is finally showing how the franchise can expand into shared-world territory. The studio’s acknowledgment that it always considered Horizon as a potential multiplayer setting sheds light on the coherence of this shift: it isn’t an afterthought or a purely commercial move, but a direction embedded in the IP’s DNA from the beginning.

As the co-op game moves through testing phases and more information emerges about the MMO-style project, players will get a clearer view of how these experiences differ and complement each other. The central promise remains the same: step into a world where human tribes fight to coexist with a living machine ecosystem, now alongside friends and other players rather than solely as a lone hunter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the Horizon multiplayer games include Aloy?

Current information focuses on new Hunters and characters rather than Aloy herself. This allows the multiplayer titles to tell parallel stories and avoid conflicting with the mainline narrative. It also lets players inhabit their own heroes instead of all sharing the same protagonist.

Do I need to play the single-player Horizon games first?

Playing Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel will give you deeper context for the world, tribes, and machines, but multiplayer titles are typically designed to be approachable for new players. Expect optional lore catch-ups and onboarding for those who haven’t followed Aloy’s story.

Are these Horizon multiplayer titles live-service games?

Both the cooperative action game and the reported MMO project fit broadly into the live-service category, in that they are expected to receive ongoing updates, events, and content drops. Sony has signaled a significant strategic interest in such titles, though it continues to support traditional single-release games as well.⁴

Will there be cross-play and cross-progression?

PlayStation’s official announcement confirms cross-play and cross-progression for Guerrilla’s co-op game between PS5 and PC, tied to a PlayStation account.¹ Details for any separate MMO-style project have not yet been formally announced, so cross-play there remains speculative until confirmed.

How will monetization work?

Monetization models have not been fully detailed. Given industry trends, it is reasonable to expect cosmetic customization and optional passes or expansions rather than strict pay-to-win advantages. Players should wait for official breakdowns of pricing, expansions, and cosmetic systems before drawing conclusions.