Guerrilla Games Aims Big for Horizon Multiplayer

Summary

• Guerrilla Games may be predicting very high player interest for its upcoming Horizon multiplayer game.
• A recent Guerrilla job listing hints at the studio building live-service systems for the Horizon multiplayer game that can support over one million players.
• On the other hand, Guerrilla might be taking preventative measures to ensure that the Horizon multiplayer game doesn't suffer from server issues at launch like Helldivers 2 did.

Guerrilla Games appears to have high expectations for its much-anticipated Horizon multiplayer game. While the project remains officially unannounced, recent job listings suggest that Guerrilla is preparing for a significant influx of players. Since the release of Horizon Forbidden West in 2022 and its Burning Shores DLC in 2023, Guerrilla has been relatively quiet, focusing on smaller collaborations like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and LEGO Horizon Adventures. However, evidence pointing to a Horizon multiplayer game has been accumulating since as early as 2018, and the project is widely anticipated for a potential reveal in 2025.

A recent job listing for a Senior Platform Engineer at Guerrilla hints at the studio's ambitious plans. The listing calls for "proven experience building and operating multi service, 1M+ user globally distributed systems across multiple public cloud providers," suggesting that Guerrilla is gearing up to support over one million players for the Horizon multiplayer game. This indicates that the studio is not only expecting massive player interest but is also developing a robust live-service infrastructure to handle such a large player base.

However, Guerrilla's focus on supporting over one million players might also be a strategic move to prevent server issues at launch, similar to those experienced by Helldivers 2. The overwhelming popularity of Helldivers 2 on PS5 and PC led to significant server problems, which hindered the gaming experience for many players. Guerrilla seems determined to avoid such issues with the Horizon multiplayer game, ensuring a smooth onboarding process for its players. While it's uncertain if the Horizon multiplayer game will achieve the same level of success as Helldivers 2, Guerrilla's proactive approach is commendable.

Given that the Horizon multiplayer game has been in development for several years, and assuming no major setbacks, Guerrilla might be preparing to unveil the live-service title this year. A few months ago, another Guerrilla job listing hinted at a new Horizon game possibly launching in 2025. With the third mainline Horizon entry still some time away, this could very well be the much-talked-about Horizon multiplayer project.