Guerrilla Games Dev Has Bad News for Killzone Fans

Guerrilla Games Dev Has Bad News for Killzone Fans

Key Takeaways

  • Guerrilla Games intentionally moved away from the Killzone franchise to Horizon according to art director Roy Postma.
  • The Horizon franchise appealed to a wider audience than Killzone, featuring a more colorful and diverse environment to work in.
  • With Guerrilla focusing on Horizon projects, a Killzone comeback seems unlikely unless Sony finds a new developer for it.

As a long-time fan of Guerrilla Games and their groundbreaking work on the Killzone franchise, I must admit I was initially saddened to hear about their shift away from this gritty sci-fi series. However, after reflecting on my years spent battling it out in the desolate landscapes of Vekta, I can’t help but feel a sense of understanding and even excitement for their new direction.


In a recent interview for LEGO Horizon Adventures, Guerrilla Games art director Roy Postma reveals why the studio moved away from the Killzone franchise. Originally launching on the PlayStation 2, Killzone was labeled by many to be Sony’s attempt to take down Microsoft’s popular Halo series. While many would argue that the series never quite reached those heights, the Killzone series quickly developed its own fanbase of players.

In a fantastically imagined and fictional setting, the Killzone series features a continuous struggle between two groups – the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance and the aggressive Helghan Empire. This action-packed series provides an immersive story mode experience in its shooter gameplay. Additionally, it included multiplayer versus games (PvP) which were quite common in shooters during that time period. Notably, after the release of Killzone: Shadow Fall on PlayStation 4 in 2013, the series has seen little activity, as developers Guerrilla Games have moved towards creating a different open world action game titled, Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Apparent from a recent interview with The Washington Post regarding the new LEGO Horizon Adventures game, Guerrilla Games art director Roy Postma confessed that the team had grown weary of the grim and gray settings in the Killzone franchise. They expressed a desire to explore something more vibrant and varied instead. Postma clarified that this move was deliberate, stating, “We felt it was time for a change. As a studio, we sought a fresh perspective. In essence, our next project is the antithesis of Killzone.

Will Guerrilla Games Revisit Killzone In the Future?

Working on the Horizon series for Guerrilla is attractive due to its broad appeal, encompassing universal themes and characters. Given the massive success of the Horizon franchise and its impressive sales figures for Sony so far, it appears that the future of Killzone might be uncertain. Postma’s statements suggest that the studio has largely moved on from Killzone, instead finding more inspiration in the varied and distinct universe of the Horizon series. However, there’s a chance that Killzone could resurface, potentially leveraging Sony’s emphasis on live-service models, although it’s unlikely that Guerrilla will be involved given their numerous Horizon projects currently underway.

“As a team, we had completed our work on it. As a studio, we felt it was time for a change, a new color scheme. Contrarily, this project was nothing like ‘Killzone.’ I believe the themes this story and characters portray, such as forming a chosen family and discovering one’s place in the world, resonate with people of all ages.

Since Activision Blizzard is now completely owned by Microsoft, some PlayStation enthusiasts have expressed concern that the beloved “Call of Duty” series might eventually become exclusive to Xbox consoles. Some members within the gaming community speculate that a reboot of the “Killzone” franchise could be Sony’s solution to counteract the popularity of “Call of Duty,” though it appears a new studio would need to step in for any future iterations. For now, Microsoft has reassured fans that “Call of Duty” won’t depart from PlayStation platforms imminently, and they can look forward to experiencing the latest installment, “Black Ops 6,” when it officially releases.

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2024-10-22 17:33