Horizon Forbidden West developers, Guerrilla Games, have confirmed that all their focus will be switching from the PC port of Zero Dawn, to the PS5 sequel Forbidden West.
This was announced through patch notes for their most recent patch of Horizon Zero Dawn on PC. The performance on OC was iffy at the start but this recent update sets to “introduces crash fixes and performance improvements.” Commenting on future updates, the statement read:
“As our team continues development on our upcoming title Horizon Forbidden West, we are shifting to less frequent updates for Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition for PC after this patch,” adding “Please note that we will continue to monitor our community spaces as always!“
As of yet, we don’t know the release date of Forbidden West. It is currently slated for 2021 but the difficulties seen across development cycles for every studio this last year means delays for A LOT of games. Just last week, Hogwarts Legacy from Avalanche studios was pushed into 2022 and don’t expect that to be the last delay announcement. I struggle to see God of War: Ragnarok releasing in 2021 given the year that was 2020.
Anticipation and What We Know
Forbidden West sees Aloy travel far out west as a new mysterious threat emerges that could destroy everyone. We are particularly excited to see the post-apocalyptic Western US since Fallout New Vegas exploited its location to build an unforgettable free-roaming atmosphere.
With exploration a huge part of Horizon Zero Dawn‘s appeal, the provision of a larger map will hopefully translate to an even greater rambling experience. One exploratory buff is particularly interesting; a much greater emphasis on underwater exploration opens up a world of possibilities. How Aloy moves around in water and how much time players are forced to submerge could make or break the title. Will Guerilla Games get the balance right?
We have included Horizon Forbidden West in our 7 major PS5 exclusives coming in 2021 piece.