Horizon Forbidden West 2021 Release Is In Doubt
Halo Infinite, Far Cry 6, and now God of War: Ragnarok. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic decimating the gaming world in 2020, it looks like it's not quite business as usual in 2021.
While the industry tries to get back to reality, there are worrying whispers that Guerilla Games' Horizon Forbidden West could be the latest AAA title to miss its original release date. If this is the case, it means the sci-fi sequel to 2017's Horizon Zero Dawn could slip into 2022.
Things are looking a little glum over at Sony HQ, with the PlayStation powerhouse continuing to reshuffle its slate in 2021. Off the back of news that the much-anticipated God of War: Ragnarok has been pushed into next year, those at the top are forewarning that Horizon Forbidden West could follow in its footsteps. Brace yourselves because it could be a while before Aloy gets to draw back her bow again.
Will Horizon Forbidden West miss its 2021 release date?
Update: Horizon Forbidden West released on February 18, 2022
Discussing the future of PlayStation, Studio Head Hermen Hulst gave a cryptic prognosis about where Horizon Forbidden West is up to. Discussing the next-gen game's progress, Hulst told the PlayStation Blog, "For Horizon, we think we are on track to release this holiday season.
But that isn’t quite certain yet, and we’re working as hard as we can to confirm that to you as soon as we can". The "on track" aspect is good news, but Hulst quickly sent alarm bells ringing with the idea of "yet". That sounds like a studio anticipating a delay if ever we've heard it.
We need to remember Horizon Forbidden West is a relative newcomer after it was only revealed during a surprise announcement in 2020. At the time, Guerilla Games acknowledged the lack of release date and gave a nod of 2021.
Since then, Hulst has admitted that COVID-19 has "affected by access to performance capture and talent", so we can't be too mad at the team. That being said, there are enraged Horizon players ready to sharpen their pitchforks and march to Sony HQ to demand a release date. If things remain on track, we'll hopefully be launching Aloy across this dystopian version of the USA before the year is out.
Should Horizon Forbidden West miss 2021?
Much like our argument for why a God of War: Ragnarok delay could actually help the game, we'd say the same for Forbidden West. We're not quite at CD Projekt Red/Cyberpunk 2077 levels of delay yet, so Guerilla Games should be given some leeway.
These days, it's almost the norm that a game is delayed. It's just a shame that Horizon Forbidden West's planned release at the end of 2021 means a delay would haul it into 2022. We're sure there will be sensationalist headlines that imply the title has been delayed by a year. In reality, what's a few months between friends?
Ultimately, it's a case of wait and see. With Sony once again sitting out this year's E3, there presumably won't be much news for a while. Although the gaming extravaganza is arguably the biggest of the year, 2021 marks the third year in a row that Sony won't be in attendance.
Biggest rivals Microsoft and Nintendo are confirmed to roll out their roadmaps for what's next, but when it comes to Sony, the company is quite happy with its State of Play updates. Even though we don't know when the next Sony State of Play is, here's hoping there's some positive news for Horizon Forbidden West fans and those who can't wait to jump back into battling mechanised dinosaurs.