Rumour Horizon: Zero Dawn is coming to PC | earlier rumour confirmed by J.Schreirer

Status
Not open for further replies.

prudis

anime occult member
Sep 19, 2018
10,229
26,760
113
The Kingdom of Beer and Porn
twitter.com



The PlayStation 4 exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn will come to personal computers this year, sources tell Kotaku. It’s an unprecedented move for Sony that signals a future in which the publisher releases games on platforms beyond its own consoles.

This news comes from three people familiar with Sony’s plans, all speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to press. Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Horizon: Zero Dawn, an open-world game set in a post-apocalyptic version of the United States that has been overrun by robot dinosaurs, launched for PS4 in February 2017. It was critically acclaimed and commercially successful for its developer, Guerrilla Games, which is owned and operated by Sony. And, like other Sony-published games over the past two decades, it was exclusive to a PlayStation console, helping drive sales of Sony’s hardware in addition to generating revenue on its own.

Now, three years later, Horizon will be on another platform for the first time. We expect to see the game on both Steam and the Epic Games Store when it launches (although that may not be finalized yet). It will be the first Guerrilla game on a non-PlayStation platform since Sony purchased the Netherlands-based studio in 2005. It will also be an opportunity for Guerrilla to show off its technical chops—Horizon: Zero Dawn, restrained by the PlayStation 4's hardware, was locked at a framerate of 30 frames per second. We expect the PC version to be more capable.

This will be the first big exclusive game from a Sony-owned developer to come to PC. Death Stranding, which launched for PS4 last November and will also arrive on PC later this year, was funded and published by Sony but developed by an independent studio, Kojima Productions. (In fact, the PC version of Death Stranding is published by a different company, 505 Games.) The French studio Quantic Dream, also independent, had a similar arrangement last year, self-publishing its games Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human on PC without Sony’s involvement.

One other thing Death Stranding and Horizon: Zero Dawn share is technology. Both games run on Guerrilla’s Decima Engine, a robust suite of tools and software for making open-world video games. Guerrilla and Kojima Productions have worked closely together in recent years.

For most publishers, the release of a game on PC would be no big deal. Most video game companies try to put their software on as many platforms as possible. But for Sony, this is a remarkable move. Since the launch of the PlayStation 1 in 1994, just about every game funded and developed by Sony has been exclusive to a PlayStation platform. (Sony’s PC-focused massively multiplayer online games, including EverQuest, are the main exception.) Sony’s strategy has always been to drive hardware sales with software and vice versa. One would expect them to take the same approach with future games on the PlayStation 5, which will launch this fall.



// PSA: this has been tumoured last month by some russian youtuber ... but i would say that Schreirer is credible source enough to do a tread for it
 

MJunioR

MetaMember
Mar 13, 2019
2,059
5,433
113
Sure, and if they want to bring others like Nathan Drake Collection, Bloodborne, inFamous SS feel free too, I'd be very interested in double dipping. In any case, my poor PS4 won't leave its box anytime soon.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
3,992
11,886
113
I'd already decided not to bother with consoles going forward, as I don't think Sony's exclusives are really worth the hardware cost anymore, but if we're seeing a shift in direction in regards to not treating PC owners as lost PlayStation customers, then I welcome them bringing their games to the platform.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alexandros

Swenhir

Spaceships!
Apr 18, 2019
3,534
7,621
113
That is excellent news by itself, and even more so if it is a sign of times to come. I would love for console games to stop being locked on proprietary hardware, lingering there in exclusivity hell.

That being said, it needs to be done right and this is Sony we are talking about. I am wary of their implementation and possible draconian DRM solutions.
 

Phoenix RISING

A phoenix always RISES!
Apr 23, 2019
1,418
1,959
113
40
Ann Arbor, MI
www.geeksundergrace.com
That is excellent news by itself, and even more so if it is a sign of times to come. I would love for console games to stop being locked on proprietary hardware, lingering there in exclusivity hell.
And yet, Tim Sweeney is going backwards in time.

Sorry, we have a whole topic about that, but I wanted to take my shot.
 

Ge0force

Excluding exclusives
Jan 12, 2019
3,982
13,792
113
Belgium
If several sources confirm it, it's probably true. But I'm not sure why Sony is doing this, unless Epic is paying them loads of money to develop a pc version. Exclusives are Sony's major selling point for their consoles, and their 1st party games are selling like hot cakes.

Anyway, while I own a PS4 I never bothered to buy Horizon. But I will give it a chance if it gets a multistore release on pc.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
3,992
11,886
113
If several sources confirm it, it's probably true. But I'm not sure why Sony is doing this, unless Epic is paying them loads of money to develop a pc version. Exclusives are Sony's major selling point for their consoles, and their 1st party games are selling like hot cakes.
I think Sony has realised that people who have gaming PCs are souring on consoles and there's no mass-producible product they can make that would satisfy that audience.

Coupled with the fact that Microsoft's pivot to PC has had no discernible impact on console sales, (PC and console are literally two different markets) and you can see how they might consider PC as being just another branch of the ecosystem.

When you think of it like that, they are basically leaving money on the table by not being on PC.

You could also argue that a platform agnostic audience is a good hedged bet against a rapidly changing market. PC is a stable market that has proven to be more robust against external disruptor like advanced consoles (PS2 says hello) mobile and streaming than any other platform. Nothing has well and truly killed it.

Sony, MS and Nintendo have all had console flops. But whether it's a good day or a bad day for any of the big 3, the PC plods along with steady growth.
 

Theswweet

Dirty Weeb
Mar 12, 2019
984
2,163
93
It's also worth noting that, in particular, Desktop/Laptop PC users have been growing lately. Analysts were assuming that PC as a general market was shrinking - but it just turns out that consumers didn't see any reason to upgrade their existing systems, and with AMD pushing Intel to compete again, everyone benefits.

Or, put another way - 4c/4t CPUs are finally dead after a decade of dominance, and 4c/8t won't be far behind. If you're using a PC, chances are - PC gamer or not - you'll be upgrading your hardware soon, or have recently done so.
 

EdwardTivrusky

Good Morning, Weather Hackers!
Dec 8, 2018
7,277
12,381
113
I haven't played it but would The Last Guardian benefit from some extra grunt on PC?
KainXVIII made me think about high-res Ico and Shadow of the Colossus too. Sony, bring the Team Ico games to PC!
 
  • Like
Reactions: MJunioR

Dekunator

Timmy Tencent owes me money
Apr 17, 2019
115
379
63
Please please please please bring Bloodborne. It's all I'm asking for Sony.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xinek

EdwardTivrusky

Good Morning, Weather Hackers!
Dec 8, 2018
7,277
12,381
113
If they want to shift a TON of consoles Sony will polish Bloodborne BC to a mirror finish. A solid 60fps, fixed hit boxes and smooth framepacing would make people lose their damned minds.

Then put it on PC to make even more money.
 

Aelphaeis Mangarae

MetaMember
Apr 21, 2019
396
718
93
Back in late 2019, VFXVeteran over on GAF said that his industry friends that told him Sony was about to bring a number of first party titles to PC. IIRC, he said something along the lines of, "I asked about this HZD rumour and although they didn't know anything about HZD specifically, they said it's not the only Sony game coming to PC."

He copped so much shit for that. He got mocked extra hard when HZD came to PSNow, because this was seen as evidence that his sources were full of shit. Now everyone is kneeling at his feet.

His most recent comment on the subject is:

"Things have changed at Sony. It was starring everyone in the face and they ignored it."
 

Swenhir

Spaceships!
Apr 18, 2019
3,534
7,621
113
I honestly think that "platform agnosticism" is a bigger threat to Nintendo than the failures of the Wii U were.

Mario, Zelda, Metroid and Pokemon (Fire Emblem, Slpatoon) are why people buy Nintendo. With that advantage one, so too would its market.
I would argue the opposite. They actually provide value in the form factor and interaction design of their platform. But on the pure hardware spec? Yes. Cemu kind of proved that.
 

Swenhir

Spaceships!
Apr 18, 2019
3,534
7,621
113
The form factor can be replicated. The intellectual properties legally cannot.
I don't understand, I'm sorry. I was thinking that the value in Nintendo hardware was that of their specificity compared to the Microsoft and Sony offerings which are pretty much PCs with a gamepad.
 

Phoenix RISING

A phoenix always RISES!
Apr 23, 2019
1,418
1,959
113
40
Ann Arbor, MI
www.geeksundergrace.com
I don't understand, I'm sorry. I was thinking that the value in Nintendo hardware was that of their specificity compared to the Microsoft and Sony offerings which are pretty much PCs with a gamepad.
It was probably my fault. I was unclear in expressing that exclusives are Nintendo's greatest strength, and with its competitors beginning to "share the wealth," if Nintendo did the same in the future, they would lose their advantage.
 

Swenhir

Spaceships!
Apr 18, 2019
3,534
7,621
113
It was probably my fault. I was unclear in expressing that exclusives are Nintendo's greatest strength, and with its competitors beginning to "share the wealth," if Nintendo did the same in the future, they would lose their advantage.
I agree, but I think that if you remove their exclusives, while their weaker hardware hurts them a lot, they do have unique points that don't rely on the crap practice of exclusives. I'm no particular fan of Nintendo, mind you, but I can admire what they have tried to do from an interaction standpoint with the Wii and Switch.

From a software standpoint, consoles are walled gardens and I'm really happy to see games - Art - become free of them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Phoenix RISING

fearthedawn

Junior Member
Apr 19, 2019
289
593
93
I honestly think that "platform agnosticism" is a bigger threat to Nintendo than the failures of the Wii U were.

Mario, Zelda, Metroid and Pokemon (Fire Emblem, Slpatoon) are why people buy Nintendo. With that advantage one, so too would its market.
If by that you mean the best strategy for Nintendo is probably to keep all the big hitters exclusive and primarily focus on remaining the best "toymaker" they can be and the first choice for parents looking for presents for their kids... i agree.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Phoenix RISING

Phoenix RISING

A phoenix always RISES!
Apr 23, 2019
1,418
1,959
113
40
Ann Arbor, MI
www.geeksundergrace.com
If by that you mean the best strategy for Nintendo is probably to keep all the big hitters exclusive and primarily focus on remaining the best "toymaker" they can be and the first choice for parents looking for presents for their kids... i agree.
Yes.

Nintendo's market is still "safe" from a parent's perspective, despite the presence of the occasional Bayonetta and Mortal Kombat game.
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
3,835
18,379
113
Well, of all first party Sony exclusives on PS4 this is probably the one I'd like to try most. And honestly, it still wouldn't be all that high in my queue of games I want to play even if it was out on Steam right now. Still would be nice to be able to give it a try at some point.

Edit: I forgot about Gravity Rush 2, but it's extremely unlikely they'd port that.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: z1ggy and lashman

Derrick01

MetaMember
Oct 6, 2018
1,037
3,129
113
I just hope that he was right about it being steam and egs and epic doesn't fuck this up for us. If they do then I guess my next playthrough of horizon will be on PS5 with any improvements that ends up bringing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LEANIJA and z1ggy

Sygmaelle

MetaMember
Sep 8, 2019
315
281
63
I also platinumed the game because it's so easy and everything was naturally unlocked as I play. But the best open world game? Nah..
i dont know a better modern open world game, and thats fine its my own tastes. There's no fat, no 2 billion of collectibles to pick, its all centered around gameplay and the expansion is fantastic. Story being fantastic also helps a lot, I'll agree however that the human combat bit could have been better cuz as is its mostly a frozen bomb spam :p

like, its the only open world ive liked since Morrowind / Vice City pretty much

NG+ in ultra hard was pretty fun too since you get to profit of the armor
 
  • Like
Reactions: xinek

The Janitor

Junior Member
Jul 13, 2019
34
105
33
Being a PC gamer is pretty nice these days. Not only do you have access to every game ever made on the platform (without having to rely on backwards compatability) But now we also get exclusives from both consoles :cool:
 
  • Like
Reactions: prudis and lashman

Parsnip

Riskbreaker
Sep 11, 2018
3,028
6,667
113
Finland
This is great news and I'm mildly curious myself. Probably not $60 curious even if/when the DLC is included, but depending on how it runs in the end and stuff, I'll probably grab it at some point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: yuraya and lashman
Status
Not open for further replies.