PlayStation’s commitment to live service games continues to be a significant focus. After the rumored $400 million flop from Concord, this time, it might be betting on something called Horizon Online as its next big live service project. The gaming journalist Jason Schreier revealed this information on the Spawn Wave podcast, Spawncast. Schreier also implied that the highly anticipated third Horizon game might not be on the horizon for a while.
Speaking with the Spawncast crew, Schreier mentioned that PlayStation might be pushing for a Horizon-themed game-as-a-service spin-off. According to his sources, “it’s live service games all around” for the California-based gaming company. Horizon was also chosen because the franchise received acclaim from gamers and critics alike, with Forbidden West selling 8.4 million copies in its first year.
Schreier added that “a lot of people” are currently working on the Horizon Online project. This manpower focus, in turn, might have pushed back any plan for a third mainline Horizon release.
Nevertheless, Spawn Wave thinks PlayStation might have “overestimated” the Horizon series’ popularity. “[..] We’ve seen the leaked documents, like, [Horizon Zero Dawn] sold well but they were also at one point selling it at 10 bucks,” he said.
The YouTuber added that, instead of being a standalone, online-only release, Horizon Online would have been better off as an additional feature. He suggests something in the vein of Ghost of Tsushima‘s Legends multiplayer game mode. “[Ghost of Tsushima] had that as a separate mode for it, and it was a fun little multiplayer thing. I think that might’ve worked better for [Horizon],” he added.
“And their plan…I mean, Horizon Online is their next product, not the third single-player game, looks like. So, [third Horizon entry] may be ways off.”
[…]
“Yeah, I mean like, Sony PlayStation’s, like, live service initiative was no joke, everybody was like… it’s live service games all around. Horizon is one of the few ones that hasn’t been cancelled or hasn’t come out and flopped the way Concord did and so… yeah, a lot of questions. A lot of people are working on that.”
That said, despite Helldivers 2 and Destiny 2 achievements, as we all know, PlayStation’s live service initiative hasn’t been without its setbacks.
Naughty Dog was rumored to be developing a The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off, which was supposed to capitalize on the franchise and HBO MAX live-action series success. However, the project was shelved in 2023 amid concerns about its development. Additionally, Concord underperformed upon release, adding further scrutiny to the company’s live service strategy.
Aside from this Horizon Online rumor, PlayStation with Haven Interactive is currently developing Fairgame$ for its live service pivot. The project is described as a competitive heist PvPvE game where you join an underground movement to rob the ultra-rich and “rebalance the scales.”
It’ll be interesting to see whether Horizon Online and Fairgame$ could finally turn into another big live service break for PlayStation. If you are interested in the whole detail, you can start watching the Spawncast video above from the 55:46 mark.
