Sony is rebooting its planned multiplayer game set in the Horizon universe after internal playtests drew negative reactions, according to a report from Bloomberg.com published Wednesday.
The project, previously referred to as “Horizon Hunters Gathering,” is being reworked as part of a broader reassessment of PlayStation’s live-service ambitions. Bloomberg.com reports that the decision follows a period in which Sony has struggled to gain traction with games designed for ongoing player engagement.
The report has been echoed by other outlets. Forbes.com described the situation as another pending live-service fumble for Sony, while Push Square said the company is scaling back the project. Kotaku, citing the same reporting, noted that the reboot comes after poor player tests. IGN separately reported that the next mainline Horizon game currently has only a small team assigned to it at developer Guerrilla Games.
The move marks a notable shift for Sony, which had previously signaled a major push into live-service titles, aiming to replicate the success of games that generate recurring revenue. That strategy has faced setbacks, with several projects either underperforming or being canceled. The Horizon multiplayer title is now the latest to be sent back for a redesign rather than being scrapped entirely.
Sony has not publicly commented on the report, and details on what the rebooted version will look like remain unclear. Bloomberg.com did not specify a new release window or whether the game’s core concept will change.
What to watch next: whether Sony will refocus its resources on single-player franchises like Horizon, which have historically been its strongest performers, or continue to invest in live-service experiments.
