The ongoing pandemic has severely affected game development in the last year, and as a result, has delayed many big and small titles. PlayStation exclusive titles such asDeathloop,Returnal, andRatchet & Clank: Rift Aparthave already been delayed once, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it happens with other 2021 PS5 titles likeHorizon Forbidden WestandGod of War Ragnarok.
BothHorizon Forbidden WestandGod of War Ragnarokare slated for a 2021 release, and while this hasn’t officially changed yet, the severe lack of news on both of them has led many to believe that is indeed the case. WhileGod of War Ragnarokhitting the 2021 window always felt too far-fetched, it’s the lack of news onHorizon Forbidden Westthat has many concerned.
RELATED:Horizon Forbidden West’s Delay Seems Likelier by the Day
Where is Horizon Forbidden West?
A sequel to 2017’s highly successfulHorizon Zero Dawn,Horizon Forbidden Westwas officially revealed at Sony’s Future of Gaming event last year. The three minutes long cinematic trailer gave a glimpse of thegame’s new premise, with a setting that stretches among California, Utah, and Nevada. It also revealed some of the daunting new machines like Shellsnappers, Bristlebacks, and Sunwings.
Horizon Zero Dawnwas a breakout hit for Guerrilla Games, a studio that had no prior experience of makingopen-world games. As such, many were surprised by the game’s intricate main plot, narratively rich side quests, and a remarkable protagonist Aloy, who stands tall among the likes of other PlayStation mascots. WithHorizon Forbidden West, the Amsterdam-based studio seems more confident than ever, making this next-gen sequel all the more exciting.
However, the continued silence over such a prolonged period of time doesn’t seem like a good sign. It’s been almost a year since Guerrilla Games gave a development update on the game. Even the reveal ofHorizon Forbidden Westwas in stark contrast to that ofHorizon Zero Dawn, which got a five minutes long bombastic gameplay trailer at E3 2015. While Sony’s strategy to market itsbig PS5 exclusive gameshas undoubtedly changed since the early PS4 era, such a silence during a global pandemic doesn’t fare well for the game’s 2021 release window.
A Different Case Than God of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden Westisn’t the only big Sony first-party game targeting a 2021 release window. The sequel to 2018’s critically acclaimedGod of War,God of War Ragnarokwas also revealed as a 2021 title. However,God of War Ragnarokgetting delayed seems far more feasiblethanHorizon Forbidden Westfor plenty of reasons. For starters, the latter has been in development for a longer period of time.
Horizon Zero Dawnwas first released on July 06, 2025. This means that its sequel,Horizon Forbidden West, has been in development for at least three years. A 2021 release makes all the more sense, especially because it’s being developed on the same Decima Engine that powered the first game. Furthermore, reports suggest thatHorizon Forbidden Westwas initially a PS4 title scheduled to launch before the PS5 was even revealed. Since then, things have obviously changed withHorizon Forbidden Westnot only releasing simultaneously on both PS4 and PS5, but also being reportedlymade from the ground up for Sony’s superior console.
On the other hand,God of War Ragnarokhas only been in development for two years, whereas its 2018’s predecessor was in development for five years. While game director Cory Barlog has confirmed that the studio’s next project won’t take that much time to develop, two years still seems inadequate to develop a game of such humungous scope and size.
It’s no doubt thatGod of War Ragnarokwas revealed early to get fans excited for the upcoming PS5 generation. At this point, it’s not even confirmed whether theGod of Warsequel is officially calledGod of War Ragnarok. Furthermore, aside from the fact that the game will see the coming of Ragnarok, there hasn’t been much revealed at this point. On the other hand,Horizon Forbidden Westeven got a three minutes long developer-talk video in which game director Mathijs de Jonge discussed what fans could expect from this much-anticipated sequel.
In the case ofHorizon Forbidden West, fans have much more information to ponder and discuss in comparison toGod of War Ragnarok,which remains an eternal mystery. As such, fans are entitled to realistically expectHorizon Forbidden Westin 2021 rather thanGod of War Ragnarok. While Sony exclusives sell well throughout the year, a holiday release for a big first-party, open-world game likeHorizonwould be more than welcoming.
RELATED:Horizon Forbidden West’s 2 Biggest Challenges Have Very Little to Do with the Game
The PS4 Problem
Cross-gen games have mostly been a double-edged sword in the past. Making the game available across two generations of consoles is always appreciated as more gamers get to play the game. On the other hand, there have been many cases where the inferior version of the game is downright unplayable. The prime example of such a situation is last year’sCyberpunk 2077,which is stillstruggling on base PS4 and Xbox One consoles. It’s no surprise that theCyberpunk 2077launch fiasco shook the industry and has made developers more cautious about the state of games at launch.
Horizon Forbidden Westis a cross-gen title as well, the news of which wasn’t received well by some fans. The PS5 version of the game being held back by its PS4 counterpart is possible, but it’s also important to acknowledge how it could affect the PS4 version of the game. As mentioned before, the development ofHorizon Forbidden Weststarted with the PS4 in mind, which wasn’t thecase withCyberpunk 2077. However, game development is a complex process, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the game’s ambitions changed midway through development.
However, that doesn’t mean that Sony and Guerilla Games wouldn’t try to be the best of both worlds and release an equally polished version of the game on both systems. Though if the target is still to ship the game in 2021, the studio could crunch its way to the finish line, which evidently, hasn’t turned out too well for games and game developers in the past.
