Late last year, Horizon Forbidden West developer Guerrilla Games confirmed that a multiplayer entry in the post-post-apocalyptic franchise is in the works, and we may have a glimpse of what that could look like. Over on Reddit, a user who goes by BirdonWheels has shared what is claimed to be twelve and a half minutes of footage from a very early build of a planned multiplayer mode of Horizon Forbidden West.
Though moderators have deleted the original post, the video remains available. No doubt the most polarizing thing in there is the in-development art style, which is more akin to the cartoonish aesthetic of Fortnite than the more realistic appearance of Horizon. Nevertheless, it lends credence to the veracity of this leak, as a “stylized look” was referenced in the job listings confirming the multiplayer game.
The footage also shows a wide range of character skins and several different loadout options, including original, healing, damage, and lure. There’s not much evidence of core gameplay ideas, as most of the footage just shows off the environments and general visuals. However, it appears to have a co-op (or at least PvPvE) focus, as evidenced by the presence of the franchise’s hostile machines and bandits.
The link to Horizon Forbidden West is evident from logos and cuts to the pause menu. As such, there’s no guarantee that anything from this leaked version of the multiplayer mode has survived the transition to a new project.
Guerrilla Games is keeping busy alongside this multiplayer project, with Horizon Forbidden West getting a DLC expansion in April and a VR spin-off Horizon Call of the Mountain set to launch alongside PSVR 2 next month.
Published: Jan 28, 2023 05:53 am