SIE's multiplayer cooperative game "Horizon: Hunters Assemble" has faced a rough development process. According to Bloomberg, its development even faced a restart.
Bloomberg reported that after poor performance in internal testing in June, developers at Guerrilla Games have begun adjusting the game, removing online service elements and adding a story mode to create a smaller-scale title.
Bloomberg stated that "Horizon: Hunters Assemble" has not been cancelled yet, but the development team needs to prove they can turn things around by the end of the year.
"Horizon: Hunters Assemble" was announced earlier this year, touted as a "tactical co-op action game," appearing to be Sony's attempt to create a game with a style and tone closer to Fortnite. Although four years have passed since the release of Horizon Forbidden West, players eager for the next single-player entry in the Horizon series will have to wait until Hunters Assemble is completed, as Guerrilla Games is reportedly focusing most of its efforts on this title.
Sony has been trying to break into the multiplayer market with mixed results. Helldivers 2 was a huge success, and Marathon seems to be on track. However, Sony's path to the GAAS cash cow is littered with the wreckage of cancelled or terminated games and shuttered studios, including Bluepoint Games, the God of War online service game, The Last of Us multiplayer, Destiny 2, and of course, Concord.