“Guerrilla Dev Reveals Why They Left Killzone for Horizon”

Guerrilla Games has explained its shift from the gritty Killzone series to the vibrant world of Horizon, expressing a desire to refresh their creative direction. The studio's art director, Roy Postma, stated that the team felt "done" with Killzone and sought a brighter palette with the Horizon games, which offer themes that resonate with a wider audience. The studio now focuses on Horizon's relatable characters and narratives, diverging from the darker tones of their previous projects. Although Killzone fans hope for a return of the franchise, it seems Guerrilla is committed to expanding the Horizon universe, with ongoing development on a live service game and a remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn releasing soon.

While there is ongoing fan interest in Killzone, Guerrilla Games seems to be focused on the Horizon franchise for the foreseeable future. Any potential revival may require a different developer or a remake of earlier titles if a return to Killzone happens at all.

The Killzone series was launched by Guerrilla Games in 2004, established as a competitor to Xbox's Halo. It featured a range of first-person shooters across multiple PlayStation consoles, culminating in 2013's Killzone Shadow Fall, which was a launch title for PlayStation 4. However, since then, the franchise has not seen new entries, with the studio shifting its focus entirely to the successful Horizon franchise, which debuted in 2017 with Horizon Zero Dawn, further expanding with sequels and spin-offs.