A few days ago, Sony and NCSoft revealed that Korean developers will be working on a new MMO set in the Horizon universe titled Horizon Steel Frontiers. The game is effectively a hybrid of Monster Hunter and Horizon Zero Dawn, and will be released on both PC and mobile. Of course, given that Horizon is one of Sony's flagship IPs, eyebrows were raised when neither company announced a PS5 version.
You might have assumed that something on NCSoft's part would have prevented them from developing the game for PlayStation, but it looks the other way around, with Sony potentially shelving the game from its own platform.
Sony may be the reason Horizon Steel Frontiers is not coming to PlayStation.
In a new interview with Japanese outlet 4Gamer, translated by TheGamer, Lee Song, executive producer of Steel Frontiers and vice president of NCSoft, shared some insight into why the game is not coming to PlayStation.
“That was the most common reaction. [a lack of a PlayStation version] “We want to do it because there is no reason for NCSoft not to do it after the game is announced, but since it is not something we can decide on our own, we want to continue discussing it,” he said.
The implication here is that NCSoft wants to release the game on PlayStation and has had conversations, but something is preventing it. Probably Sony.
With Horizon Steel Frontiers, this is the second time this week that Sony has announced that one of its major IPs will be coming to a platform other than its own. On Wednesday, the company revealed that it had teamed up with OhBibi to create a new Ratchet and Clank arena shooter. The omission of this game along with Steel Frontiers suggests that Sony is protecting its hardware.
NCSoft would like to do it because there is no reason not to do it, but since it is not something we can decide on our own, we would like to continue discussing it.
Song also revealed more details about Steel Frontier, revealing that the game will be set in Texas, will have six melee weapons and six long-range weapons, and that the game will have a “friendly business model where players can easily pay for passes, etc.”
- released
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February 28, 2017
- ESRB
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T for Teens: blood, drug references, language, mild sexual themes, violence
- engine
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Decima
- franchise
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horizon
