Arriving back to the studio’s native home of Amsterdam with a haul of E3 awards in tow, the closing months of 2015 proved to be a remarkable time for Guerrilla Games’ new IP Horizon: Zero Dawn, which irrefutably nailed the first impression during Sony’s annual presser in Los Angeles.
Borrowing the open-world sensibilities of Assassin’s Creed and Skyrim and projecting them across a lush open world powered by the Killzone: Shadow Fall game engine, Zero Dawn is already riding the crest of a wave of goodwill and for some, that will continue long into 2016.
Speaking with IGN Latin America (via GamingBolt), Guerrilla’s Executive Producer Mark Norris confirmed that Horizon: Zero Dawn won’t feature a multiplayer component as it conflicts with the core experience of the game.
There are questions as to why a multiplayer will not do. The reality is that we are putting together a new IP. We are making a new franchise for the first time in 10 years and what we really want to do is improve the experience for the player. When you get to face these machines as Aloy, with this great character, who is the real star of the story and everything that happens, have this connection with her, what happens when you add the elements of multiplayer? You play as a supporting character? How does that work?
Taking up arms as Aloy, a flame-haired protagonist not unlike Ygritte from Game of Thrones, Horizon: Zero Dawn thrusts players into an apocalyptic landscape long after humanity’s heyday. In our steed, towering robotic dinosaurs rule the roost, leaving the remnants of mankind to scavenge for resources and weaponry as they look to gain a foothold on the food chain once more.
For that story of Aloy to unfold organically, Norris noted that a multiplayer mode was ruled out early in development, though the producer didn’t write off the mode’s chances to appear further down the line – perhaps in Horizon 2?
It is an action RPG with a single player experience. I think we’re similar in that way, we want this to be the story of Aloy. Although a multiplayer mode is great and maybe we can think of something for the future, we want Horizon Zero Dawn’s story to be about Aloy and it’s going to be fantastic when you play it.
Guerrilla has tentatively slated Horizon: Zero Dawn for a release in late 2016.