Sony Seemingly Delays Horizon Forbidden West Until 2022
Sony is having a stinker, as the latest whispers claim Horizon Forbidden West has been delayed until 2022. While players couldn't wait to pull back their bow as Aloy, it looks increasingly likely that she's gone the way of Kratos, with her next outing being pushed into next year.
First released in 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn took the tried and tested apocalypse formula, put a female-first spin on it, and delivered a game that was a hybrid between Mad Max and The 100. It worked, and with Zero Dawn selling over 10 million copies to become one of the best-selling PS4 games of all time, a sequel was always inevitable. Sadly, the long-awaited Horizon Forbidden West might be further away than we first thought.
Has Horizon Forbidden West been delayed?
Previously, we were given a loose release date of 2021. Much like the scandal Microsoft faced with Halo Infinite and its myriad of delays, a window of a whole year gives developers plenty of wiggle room. Sadly, as we head into the final furlong of 2021, there's still no concrete release for Forbidden West, is that because it's destined for release in 2022?
Eagle-eyed players noticed that a recent PlayStation Germany blog post made no mention of Horizon Forbidden West. Considering it was there to specifically hype upcoming releases for the rest of 2021, it has sent a shockwave of worry through the community. Added to the fact Sony has been particularly quiet on the PR front with Forbidden West, it ain't looking good.
The good news is, the blog post got us increasingly excited for Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and Life is Strange: True Colours. However, alongside Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and the now-delayed God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West was supposed to be one of Sony's big-hitting exclusives in 2021.
What does it mean if Horizon Forbidden West is delayed?
As noted by gamers, this means there are no PlayStation exclusives set for release this holiday season. At a time Microsoft is making leaps and bounds with Bethesda exclusives, there are already concerns the House that PlayStation built is trailing in the wake of its biggest rival. Added to this, remember that both Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite are due to launch on Xbox before the end of the year.
There is a chance Sony accidentally missed Forbidden West off the post, but considering Aloy has become the poster girl for the PS5's marketing campaign, we doubt this is the case. Also, we've been here before. Players were rightly quizzical at why Ragnarok had been missed off a PS5 ad, which was later followed by confirmation Sony Santa Monica Studios wouldn't release the next-gen title in 2022.
It's the same ol' story with Horizon Forbidden West, with the fact it's missing off a post drumming up business for the rest of 2021 being a pretty major red flag. Although we could be pleasantly surprised with an imminent release of Forbidden West, we won't be holding our breath. Still, there's a rumoured Sony State of Play in the next few weeks, which is set to clear up the whole Horizon release drama - whether good or bad.