The NCSoft has dropped a massive bombshell for the Horizon fan community, and everybody is talking about it but the right way. It is now confirmed that the new MMORPG Horizon: Steel Frontiers, which is based on the world of robot dinosaurs, will be released. Nonetheless, the condition is that it will be accessible only on mobile and PC. You read it right; no PlayStation, none at all, not a single one! This is somewhat insane given that Horizon is still a PlayStation franchise, and we are left to ponder what is actually happening.
The news was first communicated by a tweet from Geoffrey Keighley, and the replies went quickly from confusion to disbelief. Gamers were very vocal about it. One user, Mobius623, simply and to the point confronted, ‘Mobile and PC but no console?!’ and this truly reflects the entire environment. It is the question that everyone is eager to be answered. Why would Sony give the green light to a multiplayer game set in the Horizon universe and then not allow it on their own console? It looks like a deliberate choice that is cutting off main audiences.
On the contrary, the public reactions are extremely mixed, which adds further to the whole situation’s intrigue. Although some gamers are enthusiastic about the new game concept, others are quite the opposite. YaBoiJason wrote, ‘Honestly.. im interested. I need to see what they do with it in the gameplay perspective first.’ After he has seen more, he then said, ‘Nevermind, there was gameplay released from it as well and it’s honestly FAR more similar to Monster Hunter. WHICH is still good. Ill keep an eye out.’ So, a part of the player community is ready to give it a chance especially, because of the Monster Hunter comparisons. Kiboune_tweets even stated, ‘Mecha dinosaurs are the best part of Horizon games, so MH in this world is a great idea.’ Thus, the idea itself is perceived as having promise.
Nevertheless, there is also a different aspect to the issue, which is the opposite loud side. The amount of comments that say ‘who asked for this?’ is almost unbelievable. Juliuszlioba simply shared a gif that had the words ‘Who asked for this?’ written on it, and to be honest, that is the mood. Wild88x also expressed in a similar way, ‘Does a large enough amount of people even want this? Like… can it even sustain itself? I don’t understand why Sony feels like throwing money away.’ One can tell that there is a strong concern regarding the live service MMORPG in this particular universe becoming extinct, especially when it is moving away from its home platform.
One more thing that divides the opinion is the mobile aspect. The phrase ‘NCsoft and mobile’ was met only with a ‘Puag’ from elasmas which can be considered a catch-all reaction. NirvanaMonk116 went as far as to say: ‘It’s time to rebel against all these mobile phones releases,’ thus capturing that growing resentment towards mobile when it comes to premium franchises. And yamikokun21 called it ‘the biggest mistake they made’ by putting it on the ‘purple app’ which is presumably a jab at the Google Play Store.
Adding to all that are the questions and paradoxes that arise from the platform choice itself. Shade pointed out the obvious irony: ‘I am quite amazed that a multiplayer version of the game based on a PlayStation original franchise is not coming to PlayStation.’ This is indeed the most logical thought. Eva_Model_02 found it ‘so fucking funny that Sony skips the Playstation with this game,’ while AltShiftKill was more theatrical, ‘Buhahahahhahhahahha. Fuck my life! Sony tells it’s own community to fuck off. Priceless!’ The disappointment of PlayStation loyalists is very apparent.
What was I saying? Oh yes, the strange platform situation. Actually, it gets even more complicated when the business side is considered. Pastor_PS4PS5 had a…different viewpoint, asserting that: ‘PlayStation virgens dont want gaas games, they want single player games… Let people have fun where they aprecieted and value the games.’ It could be that Sony is testing their live-service aspirations on the platforms they think will be more user-friendly? It is still a theory but it is a risky one that puts their base in an alienated position.
Some of the players just don’t care at all. KyleFknCrane plainly stated his view: ‘no consoles but either way its DOA’ (Dead On Arrival). And Derek Frost shared a meme saying ‘Mobile > ps5 -The worst generation in the history of the video game industry,’ which is a strong condemnation of the current trend.
