Horizon Forbidden West is one of the most anticipated video game of 2021. But with great anticipation comes great expectations, and many fans of the original game are brimming with both. While Guerrilla Games is currently hard at work and is seemingly taking its time with the game, there are some questions that should be considered.
The Horizon franchise seems to have taken a different route from other Sony first-party titles. For starters, Horizon Zero Dawn became the first game from PlayStation Studios to also release on PC, leading to speculations that more games could follow this route in the future. Secondly, Sony's long-time philosophy of believing in generations was somewhat contradicted once Guerrilla Games confirmed that Horizon Forbidden West will be a cross-generation title, releasing simultaneously on both PS4 and PS5, though it has also promised support for PS4. Essentially, it seems this process is selective, with some games getting cross-gen support and other games moving on to the next generation.
Horizon Forbidden West's Cross-Gen Approach
While such a transition makes sense, since Horizon Forbidden West is being developed on the same Decima Engine that powered Horizon Zero Dawn, the news could have some fans worried. Fortunately, the latest info on this subject seems to indicate that the PS5 variant won't be held back by its PS4 counterpart. Sony's Jim Ryan has assured its fans that Horizon Forbidden West is being built from the "ground up" on the PS5, and will take advantage of its ultra-fast SSD and DualSense features. While this may seem like great news for the PS5 users, it raises some genuine concerns for the PS4 version.
This is because some of the recent cross-generation titles have been a double-edged sword. The release of Cyberpunk 2077 caused widespread anger and frustration among the community as the game continues to struggles on PS4 and Xbox One. While its next-gen counterparts and the PC version offer some impressive visuals and relatively better performance, the last-gen base consoles, where the majority of people are playing the game, are underwhelming, to say the least. This isn't the first time such an unfortunate situation has occurred; titles such as Dragon Age Inquisition, Watch Dogs are also a prime example of a variety of less-than-ideal cross-gen scenario.
The primary reason games are sometimes unoptimized on old hardware is that they were not developed for them in the first place. While there are many factors involved, titles like Ghost Of Tsushima and The Last Of Us 2 look and perform so well on base PS4 is because they were developed for them and upscaled for PS4 Pro, rather than the opposite way around. As for Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red has confirmed that it was more focused on the PC and next-gen consoles rather than the current-gen ones. If Guerrilla Games' primary system for the development of Horizon Forbidden West is PS5, the game's visual and performance on the PS4 may not meet fans' expectations.
With all of that said, Sony has a reputation for putting it games in its prime. There's no rush for Sony to get Horizon Forbidden West out into the wild, and if that requires a delay, there seems to be no reason that the game would end up being rushed out. There's also the consideration that this isn't even a huge challenge, as it was more likely designed for PS5 and is being upgraded for PS5. Nonetheless, how Guerrila Games and Sony handle the cross-gen release will be a huge deciding factor for the game.
Zelda's Looming Shadow Yet Again
For a new IP, Horizon Zero Dawn sold exceptionally well. As of February 2019, the game has sold over 10 million copies, thus solidifying its status as a blockbuster first-party title. However, this number could have bumped up a little more if the game's release hadn't clashed with that of The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. As many would recall, there were only three days of difference between the release of these two juggernauts, but Zelda's popularity significantly affected the sales of Horizon, despite the prior being available on a newly launched console.
History could repeat itself in 2021 as Breath of the Wild 2 is rumored to be releasing this year. The game was originally announced back in 2018, and Nintendo has refrained from revealing more details about the game. However, that may very well change with Zelda's 35th anniversary on the horizon. It's hard not to expect a Nintendo Direct event around this time that reveals a new trailer as well as a release date for this highly anticipated sequel.
Moreover, if rumors floating about a potential Nintendo Switch Pro is true, then Nintendo may very well be planning to pull off another classic move, launching its new powerful hardware with a new entry in its flagship title. Of course, even if that's the case, Breath of the Wild 2 will also be coming to the regular Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite, as Nintendo is not known to take a drastic generational leap. If Nintendo's cross-generation releases are any indication, Breath of the Wild 2 won't have any problems running on either of its family of consoles, giving it an added advantage of having more systems to play on.
All of this especially poses a threat to Horizon Forbidden West, especially if its release date clashes with Breath of the Wild 2. With the on-going PS5 shortage and juggling the current which-gen-cross-gen atmosphere, a successful release for Horizon Forbidden West seems like a bigger challenge than one may think.
Horizon Forbidden West is coming to PS4 and PS5.
