Horizon MMO reportedly in the works between Sony and South Korean studio NCSoft

Horizon Forbidden West
(Image credit: Sony)

Rumors of a Horizon MMO are intensifying thanks to a new report from a South Korean financial news outlet, suggesting that Sony plans to partner with NCSoft Corporation to develop the game.

The report from MTN is difficult to parse through Google Translate, but the gist is that the outlet has sources familiar with Sony and NCSoft saying that the two companies have entered into an early agreement to create a Horizon MMO. Development has seemingly not yet begun, but NCSoft has begun posting job listings tied to an unannounced game called "Project H."

An official NCSoft representative declined to provide additional information on the project to MTN. We've reached out to Sony, NCSoft, and Horizon developer Guerrilla Games for additional information, but we did not receive an immediate response.

NCSoft is perhaps best known to English-speaking gamers as the publisher of ArenaNet's Guild Wars series, but the South Korean studio also develops a number of online games in-house, such as the Lineage series.

If the idea of a Horizon MMO sounds familiar, it's not the first time it's been in the news. Last year, months ahead of the launch of Horizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games posted a number of job listings looking for people with experience in MMORPGs and other social experiences.

A few more recent PlayStation job listings in Amsterdam - the home of Guerrilla Games - are particularly curious in light of MTN's report. The studio's looking for a senior producer with experience handling "well-known IP" to provide "production support for both internal and external stakeholders" for a mobile title. A listing for a senior product manager looks for similar qualifications. The studio's also looking for a Korean translator.

Fans are increasingly convinced that this all points to a mobile Horizon MMO from NCSoft. It certainly fits with Sony's stated strategy of expansion into PC and mobile, as well as its push for more live service games.

The series is already heading to new formats with the Horizon TV show in the works at Netflix.

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.