Guerrilla Games confirmed it was developing a multiplayer Horizon game after a report alleged one (along with a remake of the first game) was in production. The confirmation and job postings were the only things the studio officially confirmed, but now it appears as though footage of this game (or some forebear to it) has leaked out, as well as some supposed concept art.
As noted by Insider Gaming, the footage was posted on Reddit by user BirdonWheels. It’s just over 12 minutes and doesn’t have much traditional gameplay, but does show a bunch of different characters running around a decidedly Horizon-like environment. Each one seems to have their own abilities that include a shield, lure, and some bombs, just to name a few.
And while the world looks like it came out of Horizon (in this build, at least), the characters don’t fit in quite as cleanly. This matches Guerrilla’s official description, as the team said the game would have a “unique stylized look.”
The build is obviously unfinished, something its multiple placeholder assets and heads-up display elements make quite clear. BirdonWheels said the build was from summer 2020, which predates Horizon Forbidden West by almost two years. The menus even still have that sequel’s title in them and all the characters have Aloy’s grunts and dialogue.
BirdonWheels also posted supposed concept art of the game, which shows five characters trying to take down a Thunderjaw.
Video Games Chronicle initially reported on a multiplayer Horizon game in 2021, going off Guerrilla’s multiplayer job listings and its own sources. Cooperative play was initially planned for Horizon Zero Dawn but was canned in order to put in more features, as noted by a Noclip interview from 2018 and leaked concept art from 2014.
