Will Killzone come to PS5
Killzone PS5
Horizon Zero Dawn is arguably one of the best games of the PlayStation 4 generation. Guerilla Games ability to create a brand new IP and having it become a massive critical and commercial success is quite the accomplishment. This doesn’t even mention how Guerilla created an iconic new PlayStation protagonist that displayed a strong female lead at a time when the industry was sorely lacking this presence.
However, long before Aloy became a household name on the tongues of gamers, long before we battled giant robot dinosaurs, long before the Decima engine was created and long before Horizon Zero Dawn would go on to sell over ten million copies according to the PlayStation blog, Amsterdam based Guerilla Games were known for a much different franchise. We could talk all day about the acclaim and the awards that the studio received for Horizon Zero Dawn, especially considering that moving away from first person shooters, the only thing the studio had been known for at the time, seemed extremely risky but as they say fortune favours the bold.
We are of course talking about Killzone. Development for Killzone Shadow Fall happened in parallel with the development of Horizon Zero Dawn, which began after Killzone 3, which was able to happen due to the large size of the studio, as they currently employ close to 400 people based on their Linkedin. This is noteworthy because the only game that we know in active development at Guerilla is Horizon Forbidden West. This means that there is a good chunk of the studio working on a unannounced game. The multi million dollar budget question being is Guerilla Games working on a new entry in the Killzone series or are they trying to put that series in their rear view mirror and create another new IP.
Halo Killer
Before trying to figure out where Killzone might be going, it’s important to take a quick look at how it all began back on Helghan. Killzone first made it’s appearance back on the PlayStation 2 in 2004, created by then third party studio, Guerilla Games. During development, Killzone got the moniker, Halo Killer, which would unfortunately place unrealistic expectations on the game and the studio.
On a small side note there is another fun little similarity between Bungie and Guerilla. Bungie first teased Destiny, the studios massive departure from Halo in Halo ODST with posters around the city in the skyscrapers. Guerilla did something similar by placing holograms of robot dinosaurs in Killzone Shadow Fall. This would be a small hint for gamers about their soon to be foray into the post apocalyptic world of Horizon Zero Dawn.
Halo: Combat Evolved was released in 2001 as a launch title for the original Xbox and changed what was possible of first person shooters on console. It had excellent controls, an engaging sci-fi story, strong visuals and amazing multiplayer baked in. It literally changed the game, as everything created after Halo was in one form or another influenced by Bungie’s work. Being labeled a Halo Killer is along the lines of being called the next Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky. It’s a level of quality or excellence that is nearly impossible to attain. Killzone may have eventually reached some great heights during the PS3 generation but it never changed the game like Halo did.
PlayStation Studios
Sony must have seen something that most people couldn’t see. After Killzone released to lukewarm reception in 2004, Sony did something that at the time likely seemed a little strange. They purchased the studio in 2005, despite the fact that they already had an exclusivity deal in place with Guerilla to produce games for PlayStation only. The original was praised for its visuals at the time as well as the style but lacked the refinement that Halo had established as the new bar.
With the budget and support of Sony behind them, what would Guerilla be able to do for the sequel. The first time that we saw Killzone 2, jaws dropped. It was the teaser from E3 2005 and the game looked incredible but it seemed to good to be true. Eventually gamers learned the muddy truth about whether what was shown was a CG trailer or if it was an actual display of gameplay. What Guerilla eventually released was a very pleasant surprise after the questionable reveal, as well as the middling response to the first game. Killzone 2 made everyone see what Sony saw in Guerilla when they purchased the studio. Killzone 2 was a legitimate contender as the best shooter available on PlayStation. The controls felt heavy and deliberate, the visuals were truly next gen, and the atmosphere was engrossing.
Unfortunately, Killzone 2 didn’t set the world on fire. On the bright side, according to Sony, Killzone became the fastest title to sell half a million units, as well as selling over a million copies worldwide in just a few short months. The sequel likely saw a dramatic increase from the first game in sales, but it also saw a massive increase quality, establishing the series. However, the sales figures likely didn’t quite meet expectations as the total amount of PS3’s that would eventually be sold was around 86 million meaning that there was plenty of owners who didn’t take the trip to Helghan.
The most recent release in the series was in 2013, when the PS4 launched with Killzone Shadow Fall. Once again Guerilla did what they do best and displayed the power of the PS4 with exceptional visuals, showcasing Sony’s latest console. Shadow Fall was the first game that was released on the proprietary engine created by Guerilla called Decima, which would go on to power Horizon Zero Dawn as well as famously being the engine that Hideo Kojima selected to use for his much anticipated indie game, Death Stranding.
Shadow Fall sold extremely well, which was an amazing sign for the series as it was showing strong growth commercially from its inception up until Shadow fall. Sony announced in a press release that Shadow Fall managed to sell over two million copies in just a few short months and would go on to be featured as one of the prominent titles in the Greatest Hits lineup. On the down side with each release critically the scores were headed in the opposite direction. Killzone 2 averaged over a 90, Killzone 3 averaged around an 85 and Shadow Fall averaged in the mid 70’s.
Wild Wild Forbidden West
The transition to Horizon Zero Dawn and away from Killzone was not an easy endeavour as the development of the game took nearly seven years according to Venture Beat. As mentioned earlier, this risk paid off not only commercially as the game sold over ten million copies but it reversed the trend that was happening to the scores of Guerilla games. Horizon Zero Dawn currently sits close to a 90 review average and was in conversation for game of the year from many outlets. It likely would have won many more awards than it did had it not been for another open world adventure from Nintendo called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
What is known for certain is that Guerilla is working on the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn called Horizon Forbidden West. The original had such a lengthy development process due to the new engine the team was working on and the completely new universe that needed to be created. The Horizon Forbidden West release date is currently 2021, which was first revealed at the PS5 games showcase back in June 2020. With its tentative release date, this means that the team at Guerilla was able to expedite development from nearly seven years to four years, which is great news for fans of the series. Based off the fine print from the PS5 “worlds to explore” launch trailer, Horizon Forbidden West release date will be anticipated in the second half of 2021.
For a studio with nearly 400 employees, what else is Guerilla working on? When comparing Sony Santa Monica, who also made a story driven adventure game that was 2018’s God of War, they currently have around 250 employees according to their LinkedIn. Sony Santa Monica is relevant because they are also a first party studio who is also working on a sequel using the same engine as the original, just like Guerilla. The big difference is that Sony Santa Monica is almost half the size of Guerilla and the sequel to God of War, titled Ragnarok, is also tentatively due out in 2021. How can a studio that is half the size, develop a game with a similar scope in a year less? The only reason for the slower development would be if Guerilla is developing another game in parallel to Horizon Forbidden West.
Considering that the studio is almost 400 employees, it’s hard to believe that there isn’t more information, leaks or speculation about what else the Guerilla is working on. One of the few bits of solid information comes from Eurogamer, who had an article about two developers who left Ubisoft after working on Rainbow Six Siege to work on an unannounced title. One of the people who came over actually worked on Killzone 2 with Guerilla before leaving to join Ubisoft in 2009.
This article was from 2018, and experience had already been listed as nine months on the secret project, which means that whatever else Guerilla is developing has been happening for at least 2-3 years. It’s possible that there is still a lot we don’t know about Horizon Forbidden West, but it seems unlikely that the main focus of that title will be multiplayer because that would be a major departure from what Sony is trying to do and what Horizon Zero Dawn was.
Back to Helghan
One other interesting coincidence regarding Killzone and the PS5 was at the UI walkthrough on the PlayStation Blog. It’s a very small detail but when selecting the user who will be using the PS5, the user icon is of a Helghast helmet, which is an older icon from the PS4 era but when every single detail in these videos is calculated, it stands out a little. It could just be a red herring but I want to believe that Killzone will make a comeback on the PS5. It’s either a small hint or this is a massive tease for fans of the series.
Considering the growth in the narrative department that Guerilla made from the Killzone series to the Horizon series, this would be an excellent opportunity to breathe life back into the Killzone franchise and have people talk about how impressive the story is. The critical consensus was that Shadow Fall was filled with shooter cliches and a disappointing single player campaign whereas Horizon pushed in the complete opposite direction. Giant Bomb called the story in Horizon Zero Dawn “near perfect” and Game Informer was thankful that the story missions dominated the overall experience. However, in addition to the great narrative elements, Horizon Zero Dawn also had fantastic open world elements, great action sequences and much more.
With the massive mainstream success that Horizon Zero Dawn received, and the popularity of the series it might be smart to associate Killzone with Horizon Zero Dawn in some way. Tying Killzone to Horizon Zero Dawn could be a simple way to group the games together, increasing the awareness and exposure the series could get, potentially increasing the acceptance and minimizing risk for Killzone.
Whether or not Guerilla is working on a new entry fighting the Helghast, it’s exciting to know that the team behind the Killzone series and the Horizon series is working on another next generation title. Sadly, the likelihood that we hear anything about this game before the release of Horizon Forbidden West is very low. On the bright side if we don’t hear about Guerrilla’s other project until late 2021 or early 2022, then it could mean the time from announcement to release would be short. Guerilla has been working on a secret project since late 2017, meaning that by 2022, this game would have been in development for a minimum of four full years.
If there is one thing you can always expect from Guerilla, it’s that their games are stunning across the board. Art design, visual fidelity, and atmosphere are all areas in which Guerilla games excel. Combine these stalwarts with their recent bolstering of narrative elements and an excellent Killzone PS5 entry start to seem like a strong possibility.