Horizon Hunters Gathering Studio Director Says Single-Player Games are “a Huge Part” of the Studio

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The new cooperative game, Horizon Hunters Gathering, has surprised many players. Although there had been talk of a co-op Horizon game in development, Sony has struggled with its recent attempts to create ongoing, live-service games. To address concerns, the studio director, Jan-Bart Van Beek, has assured fans that they will continue to release traditional single-player games as well.

Van Beek stated, as reported by GamesRadar, that the studio is committed to continuing to develop single-player games, as they greatly enjoy making them. However, he also mentioned that Guerrilla Games has broader goals beyond just single-player experiences, even though these games remain central to the studio’s identity.

We’ve always wanted to create a unique experience,” he said. “We envision a new way for players to team up and explore the world of Horizon as machine hunters.

Okay, so Guerrilla Games – the folks behind the Horizon series – are finally jumping into multiplayer again! It’s been a while, actually – their last multiplayer game was Killzone Shadow Fall way back in 2013. They’ve been super focused on Horizon since then, but they also helped out Kojima Productions by letting them use their game engine – the Decima engine – for Death Stranding. This new Horizon Hunters Gathering is a big step for them, bringing multiplayer back to the table.

The new game will be a cooperative experience for three players, offering missions across four different environments. Gameplay focuses on completing “runs,” and like many rogue-lite games, players will become more powerful by earning Perks. Currently, two game modes are planned for Horizon Hunters Gathering: Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent.

Machine Incursion will challenge players to work together and defeat increasingly difficult waves of Machines, ending with a final boss battle. In contrast, Cauldron Descent will have players explore constantly shifting rooms, each presenting different obstacles – from fighting enemies to navigating platforms and solving puzzles.

Finishing quests in either game mode will help players upgrade their equipment based on the items they earn. The game will also feature a central meeting place for players to connect and relax.

Guerrilla Games hasn’t announced a release date yet, but they are letting players sign up for a closed playtest through the PlayStation Beta Program. The playtest is expected to begin later this month.

So, I was hearing about Horizon Hunters Gathering, and honestly, I thought it’d just be a little side game, you know? But the game director, Arjan Bak, actually said the story will be fully part of the main Horizon storyline – it’s official canon! That’s pretty cool, actually. It means everything that happens in Hunters Gathering will matter to the bigger picture.

The playable characters in this game have their own unique reasons for doing what they do, and they’re dealing with personal challenges, which will drive the new stories we’re telling in the Horizon universe. The game features a main story campaign full of new secrets, characters, and dangers, but we’re not revealing details just yet. We can share that ‘Hunters Gathering’ is officially part of the Horizon story, and its narrative will continue to evolve even after the game is released!

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2026-02-06 18:11