After a leak spoiled the surprise just hours earlier, Sony and NCSoft made it official at G-Star 2025 in Korea on November 13, 2025. Horizon Steel Frontiers is real, it’s an MMORPG, and it’s coming to mobile devices and PC first while PlayStation 5 gets left out entirely. For a franchise that’s been synonymous with PlayStation exclusivity since 2017, this marks a massive strategic shift that has longtime fans questioning Sony’s priorities and vision for one of their most successful new IPs.
The Official G-Star Reveal
NCSoft kicked off Korea’s premiere gaming conference G-Star 2025 with a surprise announcement and gameplay trailer for Horizon Steel Frontiers. The 10-minute presentation featured developer commentary from Jan-Bart van Beek (Studio Director and Art Director at Guerrilla), Taekjin Kim (NCSoft CEO and Chief Creative Officer), and Sunggu Lee (Executive Producer at NCSoft). The trailer showcased the game’s world, mechanical creatures, large-scale battles, and the signature Horizon hunting action adapted for MMORPG gameplay.
The official description positions Steel Frontiers as a game that builds on Horizon’s signature hunting-action gameplay while introducing advanced MMORPG systems, featuring deeply customizable combat and extensive player freedom. Set in the Deadlands – a frontier region inspired by Arizona and New Mexico – players become machine hunters sharing the world with thousands of other players, sometimes cooperating to take down massive machines and other times competing as rival tribes.
What Makes Steel Frontiers Different
The gameplay footage revealed several key mechanics that distinguish Steel Frontiers from the mainline Horizon games. Combat emphasizes both melee and ranged weapons, with players able to wield giant swords, daggers, or familiar ranged armaments depending on their chosen class or build. The iconic weakness-targeting system remains intact – you can still destroy specific machine parts to weaken enemies and obtain better loot, exactly like in Zero Dawn and Forbidden West.
The Pullcaster tool returns, allowing players to quickly approach damaged machine parts and climb onto creatures mid-battle. Once you’re on a machine, you can set traps on damaged areas and inflict status effects. There’s even a mechanic where you can pick up weapons dropped by machines, carry them on your mount, and deploy them in subsequent fights. These systems translate Horizon’s core gameplay loop into the MMORPG format while adding layers of complexity suited for cooperative multiplayer.
The Customization System
Unlike mainline Horizon games where you play as Aloy, Steel Frontiers offers deep character customization. Players create their own machine hunter from scratch, choosing from one of four familiar tribes – Nora, Tenakth, Utaru, and Oseram. The customization extends to facial features, body type, hair, makeup, and more, allowing players to express their individuality down to the finest details according to NCSoft’s announcement.
This shift from a defined protagonist to create-your-own-character is standard for MMORPGs but represents a fundamental change for Horizon. The franchise has always been Aloy’s story, with her journey, personality, and relationships driving the narrative forward. Steel Frontiers trades that focused storytelling for the freedom that comes with MMO gameplay – you’re no longer following someone else’s path but carving your own legend in the Deadlands.
Mobile First, Console Never?
The most controversial aspect of the announcement is the platform strategy. Horizon Steel Frontiers launches on mobile devices and PC via NCSoft’s proprietary platform called PURPLE. There’s no mention of PlayStation 5, Xbox, or any traditional gaming consoles. For a franchise that launched as a PS4 exclusive, continued as a PS5 exclusive with Forbidden West, and has been intimately tied to PlayStation’s brand identity, this decision feels like a betrayal to console fans who supported the series from day one.
Sony’s rationale is clear even if fans don’t like it. The mobile gaming market in Asia is exponentially larger than console gaming, generating billions in revenue. NCSoft has proven expertise in mobile MMORPGs with massive hits in Korea and China. Partnering with them gives Sony access to audiences that PlayStation hardware can’t reach. It’s pure business logic, but that doesn’t make it easier to accept for PlayStation owners who expected the next Horizon announcement to be a proper sequel to Forbidden West.
Fan Reactions and Backlash
The response from the Horizon community has been overwhelmingly negative. Comments on announcement videos and social media posts are filled with disappointment, frustration, and anger. Common complaints include this isn’t what we wanted, hard pass from me, and just give us Horizon 3. PlayStation fans feel abandoned, watching a franchise they helped build get spun off into a mobile MMO they can’t even play on their console of choice.
Some criticism focuses on the MMORPG genre itself. Many Horizon fans prefer single-player narrative-driven experiences and have zero interest in MMO mechanics, grinding, or sharing their world with thousands of other players. The shift from focused storytelling to open-ended multiplayer gameplay fundamentally changes what Horizon is about. It’s not necessarily worse, but it’s different enough that existing fans are justified in feeling like this game wasn’t made for them.
Guerrilla’s Collaboration Role
Guerrilla Games isn’t just licensing the IP and walking away. Jan-Bart van Beek emphasized in the developer commentary that Guerrilla is actively collaborating with NCSoft to ensure Steel Frontiers captures the essence of Horizon. The studio sees this as an opportunity to bring Horizon to new audiences and platforms while maintaining the franchise’s artistic vision, world-building, and gameplay identity.
Van Beek spoke about Horizon’s core themes – the balance between humanity, nature, and technology, the resilience and hope inherent in the world, and the mystery and beauty that defines the post-apocalyptic setting. These elements are supposed to translate into Steel Frontiers despite the genre and platform changes. Whether Guerrilla’s involvement is enough to make this feel like a proper Horizon experience rather than just a mobile game wearing Horizon’s skin remains to be seen.
What About Horizon 3?
The announcement that everyone actually wanted – Horizon 3 as a proper sequel to Forbidden West – remains absent. Guerrilla confirmed years ago that work on the next mainline entry is underway, but we’ve seen nothing concrete. Steel Frontiers isn’t that game. It’s a separate project developed primarily by NCSoft with Guerrilla’s collaboration, not a Guerrilla-led production that represents the franchise’s future.
This parallel development strategy makes sense from Sony’s perspective. Guerrilla continues working on Horizon 3 for PlayStation while NCSoft handles the mobile MMORPG for Asian markets. Both projects can exist simultaneously without interfering with each other. The problem is optics – announcing the mobile MMO before showing anything from Horizon 3 makes it seem like Sony’s priorities have shifted away from the fans who made Horizon successful in the first place.
Release Timeline Unknown
NCSoft and Sony didn’t provide a release date or even a release window during the G-Star announcement. The game is clearly still in development with more details promised to be revealed gradually through the official brand website. Based on typical MMO development cycles and the state of what was shown, late 2026 or even 2027 seems realistic, though this is pure speculation without official confirmation.
The lack of a release window might indicate NCSoft wants to avoid the mistakes of other live service games that launched too early and immediately collapsed. MMO launches are incredibly difficult to execute smoothly – servers crash, bugs multiply, and player expectations are sky-high. Taking extra time to ensure stability, content depth, and polish benefits everyone even if the wait is frustrating.
The Bigger Picture
Horizon Steel Frontiers represents Sony’s aggressive push to expand their IP beyond PlayStation hardware. We’ve seen this strategy with PC ports of formerly exclusive titles like God of War, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us. Now they’re taking it further by launching new games in established franchises on platforms that directly compete with or bypass PlayStation entirely. It’s a recognition that the gaming market has evolved beyond hardware exclusivity as the primary driver of success.
Whether this strategy pays off depends entirely on execution. If Steel Frontiers is a quality MMORPG that honors Horizon’s identity while delivering compelling multiplayer gameplay, it could introduce millions of new players to the franchise who then become interested in the mainline games on PlayStation. If it’s a generic mobile cash grab that dilutes the brand, the backlash will make the current negativity look mild by comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Horizon Steel Frontiers?
Horizon Steel Frontiers is an MMORPG set in the Horizon universe, developed by NCSoft in collaboration with Guerrilla Games. It was officially announced at G-Star 2025 on November 13, 2025, and is coming to mobile devices and PC via NCSoft’s PURPLE platform.
When was Horizon Steel Frontiers announced?
The game was officially announced at G-Star 2025 in Korea on November 13, 2025. It leaked hours before the official reveal through videos from a developer conference.
What platforms is Horizon Steel Frontiers on?
Horizon Steel Frontiers is confirmed for mobile devices and PC via NCSoft’s PURPLE platform. There is no PlayStation 5, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch version announced.
Will Horizon Steel Frontiers come to PlayStation 5?
Sony and NCSoft have not confirmed a PlayStation 5 version. The game is currently only announced for mobile and PC, with no mention of console releases.
Do you play as Aloy in Horizon Steel Frontiers?
No, Horizon Steel Frontiers features full character customization where you create your own machine hunter. You choose from one of four tribes – Nora, Tenakth, Utaru, or Oseram – and customize appearance, facial features, body type, and more.
When will Horizon Steel Frontiers be released?
No release date or window has been announced. Details will be revealed gradually through the official brand website, but late 2026 or 2027 seems realistic based on typical MMO development timelines.
Is this Horizon 3?
No, Horizon Steel Frontiers is a separate MMORPG project developed primarily by NCSoft. Guerrilla Games is working on the next mainline Horizon game separately, though no details have been announced yet.
Final Thoughts
The official announcement of Horizon Steel Frontiers confirmed what the leaks suggested – Sony is taking one of their most successful franchises in a direction that alienates the core fanbase that made it successful. There’s no sugarcoating it. PlayStation owners who spent dozens of hours with Aloy across two mainline games and expansions are watching their franchise get spun off into a mobile MMORPG they can’t play on their console. That’s a tough pill to swallow.
Whether Steel Frontiers succeeds or fails commercially depends entirely on execution and whether it can find an audience in the massive but competitive mobile gaming market. For Sony, this is a calculated risk – trade potential backlash from core fans for access to exponentially larger markets in Asia. For NCSoft, it’s a chance to work with a globally recognized Western IP that could help them expand beyond Korea and China. For Guerrilla, it’s an experiment in bringing Horizon to new formats and audiences. And for fans? Well, they’ll just have to wait and hope that Horizon 3 eventually gives them what they actually want – a proper sequel to Forbidden West that remembers why people fell in love with this franchise in the first place.