NCSoft — the South Korean publisher and developer best known for Guild Wars 2 — has announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMORPG set in Guerrilla Games’ Horizon universe. The project is a collaboration between NCSoft, Guerrilla (creators of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West), and Sony Interactive Entertainment, and it will target both PC and mobile platforms.
Horizon Steel Frontiers takes place in a newly introduced region called the Deadlands, a frontier populated by specialized and formidable machines. NCSoft says the title preserves Horizon’s trademark hunting-action feel while layering in robust MMORPG systems: highly customizable combat, abundant player agency, and large-scale interactions with other hunters.
Rather than stepping into Aloy’s shoes, players will create their own machine hunter, choosing from deep customization options influenced by the tribes and factions established in the single-player games. Guerrilla’s Jan-Bart Van Beek notes the experience was designed with mobile-first considerations while remaining playable on PC.
Van Beek describes the Deadlands as inspired by the landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico, a shared frontier where thousands of players coexist. Sometimes hunters cooperate to fell massive machines; other times they clash over resources or tribal influence — a dynamic mix of collaboration and competition that creates unscripted moments.
At the narrative core, Van Beek says, is a recurring quest for balance between humanity, nature, and technology — a tension that yields both harmony and conflict across a world of mystery and visual splendor.
Executive producer Sung-Gu Lee sums up the game’s central appeal simply: the exhilaration of bringing down colossal machines. The team is crafting combat systems tailored to an MMORPG format, adding original mechanics that emphasize tactics and teamwork.
Lee highlights several design touches: after wrecking a machine’s component, players can close in, scale the damaged section with a pullcaster, plant traps, and apply status effects. Weapons lost by defeated machines can even be picked up and carried on mounts for use in later engagements — reinforcing the dual pillars of cooperation and strategy that underpin large-scale hunts.
Gameplay preview:
NCSoft has not yet announced a release date or whether the game will be free-to-play or a paid product. It will be available on PC and mobile when it launches.
While you wait, you can read in-depth coverage and reviews of the single-player entries that shaped this world: Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.
Would you play Horizon Steel Frontiers? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
