Sony's latest attempt at a Horizon live-service title has hit the same wall as several predecessors, with Guerrilla Games now rebooting development on Horizon Hunters Gathering following disappointing internal playtests. Bloomberg reporting indicates the project, announced earlier this year as a three-player tactical co-op experience, is shedding its live-service ambitions in favor of a more traditional co-op setup with a story mode and reduced scope.

The studio received negative feedback from closed playtests conducted earlier in the year, prompting the shift that began in June. Guerrilla has been instructed to deliver a convincing milestone by December or face further consequences, including potential reassignment of team members to other projects. This comes amid Sony's broader struggles with multiplayer initiatives, where titles like Concord and various canceled efforts have left a trail of underperforming attempts at service-model revenue.

Single-player Horizon fans will likely continue waiting, as most of the studio remains tied up with this effort and the next mainline entry remains far off. The reboot represents another measured adjustment in a franchise that has thrived on narrative-driven single-player experiences rather than sustained online engagement.