Sony Reportedly Reworks Horizon Hunters Gathering After Negative Playtest Feedback

Guerrilla Is Said to Be Moving Horizon’s Multiplayer Spin-Off Away From Live-Service Plans

Instead, Guerrilla is reportedly being given several months to demonstrate whether the revised version can work.

A major development milestone is expected in December, when Sony executives will reportedly evaluate the project's progress.

The situation is significant because Horizon Hunters Gathering was previously positioned as an important multiplayer expansion of the Horizon franchise.

Now, its entire direction could be changing before release.

What Is Horizon Hunters Gathering?

Horizon Hunters Gathering is an upcoming cooperative action game set within the Horizon universe.

Guerrilla announced the project in February 2026 as a multiplayer-focused experience for PlayStation 5 and PC.

The original concept allowed groups of players to work together as Hunters while battling the massive machines that define the Horizon franchise.

Unlike the mainline Horizon games, the project was designed around cooperative multiplayer rather than a traditional single-player adventure.

It also introduced a noticeably different visual style, with more stylized characters and environments than Horizon Zero Dawn or Horizon Forbidden West.

The game was intended to expand the franchise into another genre while giving players a new way to experience its machine-hunting concept.

Negative Playtest Feedback Is Reportedly Behind the Change

The biggest reason for the reported redesign is player feedback.

According to Bloomberg's reporting, Horizon Hunters Gathering went through multiple private tests during 2026.

The response was reportedly not strong enough.

Rather than cancelling the game immediately, Sony is said to have given Guerrilla an opportunity to substantially change it.

The reported strategy involves removing or reducing some of the game's live-service characteristics and transforming it into a more traditional co-op title.

That could represent a major change in the game's business model and overall structure.

However, Sony and Guerrilla have not publicly confirmed all of these reported changes, so they should not yet be treated as final specifications.

The Live-Service Direction May Be Changing

Horizon Hunters Gathering was originally associated with Sony's broader push into live-service gaming.

The company has spent several years attempting to build a portfolio of online games alongside its traditional single-player releases.

Some of those projects have succeeded.

Others have struggled or been cancelled.

The reported Horizon change appears to reflect a more cautious approach.

Instead of building the game around a long-term live-service structure requiring constant seasonal content, monetization and player retention, Sony is reportedly considering a smaller co-op experience with a more defined scope.

That could significantly change how the game is designed.

What a Traditional Co-Op Version Could Look Like

The exact details of the reported new direction are not confirmed.

However, reports describe a project that would be smaller in scope and more traditionally structured around cooperative play.

That could mean a greater emphasis on:

Structured missions
A clearer story
Co-op progression
More focused environments
Less dependence on recurring live-service content
Fewer long-term monetization systems
A more defined beginning and ending

This would bring the project closer to a conventional multiplayer game rather than an endlessly evolving service.

For players, that could potentially be a positive change.

Instead of constantly returning for seasonal content, players could have a focused campaign or collection of cooperative missions to experience with friends.

But whether Sony ultimately chooses that approach remains unknown.

The Project Is Reportedly Not Cancelled

One of the most important distinctions is that Horizon Hunters Gathering has reportedly not been cancelled.

Sony is apparently giving Guerrilla another opportunity to make the project work.

According to reports, developers have until December to demonstrate enough progress to convince executives that the revised concept deserves to continue.

That creates a critical deadline for Guerrilla.

If the revised project receives a better response internally, development could continue.

If it fails to meet expectations, the game's future could become much more uncertain.

Until Sony makes an official statement, however, it is impossible to say what the final decision will be.

Some Guerrilla Developers May Be Reassigned

The reported restructuring is not limited to gameplay.

A portion of the development team is reportedly being moved to other projects.

That could affect the scale and timeline of Horizon Hunters Gathering.

It also highlights the broader development challenge facing Guerrilla.

The studio is responsible for one of PlayStation's most important franchises, but it is now balancing multiple Horizon-related projects.

The multiplayer title has reportedly received significant development resources, while the next major single-player Horizon game remains much further away.

That makes the future of Hunters Gathering important not only for multiplayer fans but for the entire Horizon franchise.

Horizon 3 Could Be Affected

The reported situation also has consequences for fans waiting for the next mainline Horizon game.

According to separate reporting, only a relatively small team is currently working on early plans for the next major single-player Horizon installment because Guerrilla's resources have been heavily focused elsewhere.

That does not mean Horizon 3 has been cancelled.

It means the project is reportedly still in an early stage.

Some reports suggest the next single-player game could still be several years away.

However, this remains reporting rather than an official release timetable from Guerrilla.

The situation illustrates how the development priorities surrounding Horizon have changed since Forbidden West.

Sony's Live-Service Strategy Faces Another Test

The Horizon report comes at an interesting moment for Sony.

The company has invested heavily in multiplayer and live-service projects over the last several years.

But the strategy has produced mixed results.

Some games have performed strongly, while others have experienced development problems or cancellations.

The reported restructuring of Horizon Hunters Gathering therefore represents more than one game's development issue.

It could indicate that Sony is becoming more selective about how it approaches large-scale live-service projects.

Instead of insisting that every multiplayer game become a long-term service, publishers may increasingly look for smaller and more sustainable cooperative experiences.

The Horizon Franchise Was Built Around Single-Player Adventures

The reported redesign also raises an interesting question about what players actually want from Horizon.

The franchise became famous through its single-player games.

Horizon Zero Dawn introduced players to Aloy and a world filled with robotic creatures.

Horizon Forbidden West expanded that world with larger environments, new machines and a deeper story.

The multiplayer direction was therefore always going to represent a major change.

Some players were excited by the possibility of hunting machines with friends.

Others were concerned that a live-service model could move the franchise away from what made it popular.

The negative playtest response, if the reports are accurate, suggests Guerrilla may now be reconsidering how much of that shift players actually want.

The Game's Stylized Art Direction Could Also Change

Horizon Hunters Gathering was notable for its visual style.

Unlike the highly realistic presentation of the mainline Horizon games, the multiplayer project used a more colorful and stylized approach.

The decision divided fans when the game was first revealed.

Some players welcomed the different look.

Others felt it made the Horizon universe appear less serious.

The current reports do not confirm whether the visual direction will change as part of the reboot.

Therefore, it would be premature to say that Guerrilla is abandoning the art style.

For now, the confirmed part is simply that the project is reportedly being reconsidered following player feedback.

Why This Could Be Good News for Horizon Fans

A development reboot is not automatically bad news.

If the original concept was struggling during testing, changing direction before release could be better than launching a product that players do not enjoy.

A smaller co-op experience could potentially have several advantages.

It could be easier to maintain.

It could require fewer recurring content updates.

It could focus more heavily on story and character development.

And it could allow Guerrilla to concentrate on making the actual cooperative gameplay fun rather than building a huge monetization ecosystem.

The challenge is whether Sony and Guerrilla can make those changes without effectively starting the project over.

Why It Could Also Delay the Game

There is another side to the situation.

Major redesigns can take significant time.

If Guerrilla has been working on one version of the game and is now moving toward a substantially different structure, developers may need to rebuild systems, progression, missions and other content.

That could push the release further into the future.

The game already does not have a publicly confirmed launch date.

A major redesign could make the timeline even harder to predict.

For now, players should not expect Sony to provide a firm release window until the company is satisfied with the revised project.

What Happens in December?

December could become the most important month in Horizon Hunters Gathering's development.

Reports indicate that Sony expects Guerrilla to present a new milestone by the end of the year.

That evaluation could determine whether the revised version continues toward release.

However, there is no official announcement stating that December is a cancellation deadline.

It is better described as a reported internal milestone.

Until Sony or Guerrilla comments publicly, the exact consequences of the evaluation remain unknown.

Horizon Hunters Gathering Is Still an Official Project

Despite all of the reported changes, the game remains an officially announced Guerrilla project.

Its existence has not been withdrawn.

Its final design, however, may look very different from the version originally shown.

That distinction is important.

Players should not assume that every feature announced earlier will survive the reported reboot.

Likewise, they should not assume the game is cancelled.

The most accurate description right now is that Horizon Hunters Gathering is reportedly undergoing significant redevelopment.

What This Means for the Future of Horizon

The Horizon franchise now appears to be heading in several directions at once.

There is the traditional single-player series.

There is Horizon Hunters Gathering.

There is also the previously announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO project being developed with NCSoft.

That gives the franchise a much broader future than it had during the first two games.

But it also creates a challenge.

Each project needs its own identity.

The reported problems with Hunters Gathering show how difficult it can be to transform a successful single-player franchise into a multiplayer service without losing the elements players value.

Conclusion

Horizon Hunters Gathering is reportedly undergoing a major rethink after negative feedback from private playtests.

According to Bloomberg reporting cited by multiple gaming outlets, Guerrilla is working to move the project away from some of its original live-service ambitions and toward a smaller, more traditional co-op experience.

The game has not been officially cancelled, and Sony has reportedly given the team until December to demonstrate that the revised direction can work.

That makes the coming months particularly important.

Horizon Hunters Gathering was supposed to introduce the franchise to a much larger multiplayer audience.

Now, it may become something considerably different from what players first expected.

The most important thing is that these details remain reported rather than officially confirmed by Sony or Guerrilla.

Until the companies provide a formal update, players should treat the reported reboot, staffing changes and new design direction as developments from industry reporting.

What is clear, however, is that Sony appears to be reconsidering how aggressively it wants Horizon to pursue the live-service model.

And that could have consequences far beyond one multiplayer game.