NCSoft, the company behind games like Lineage, Aion, and the upcoming Throne and Liberty, is working on a new MMORPG. It is supposed to be developed in collaboration with Sony and set in the Horizon universe. A Korean insider has now revealed some details, although there is currently no gameplay available.
What do we know about the game? As early as the end of 2022, there were rumors that an MMORPG set in Horizon was in development. However, the development has not been officially confirmed yet. Now, however, there has been an insider report on the Korean website MTN, which revealed some information about the game:
- It is currently running under the name Project Skyline and is overseen by Choi Hong-young. He is a Senior Manager at NCSoft and has been with the company since 2009.
- The company is internally divided into three departments, with the Horizon MMORPG being assigned to the team of Lineage. This dispels a common rumor that ArenaNet – the developers of Guild Wars 2 – would be handling the game.
- It is being developed in close collaboration with Sony, who are also said to have the authority to decide when the first official information will be shared.
- It is supposed to be “later than Aion 2”. Here, the insider also had many details, including that the release is planned for 2025.
- The project is described as large and important. Within the team, there is supposed to be competition between the three games Project Skyline, Throne and Liberty, and Aion 2, as everyone wants to achieve the next big success for the company.
It is currently unclear which platforms the MMORPG is being developed for. The Lineage team has recently focused on mobile games like Lineage 2M and Lineage W, which generated 280 million euros in revenue in just three months.
However, there are many indications that the Horizon MMORPG will be larger and will focus on PC and PlayStation.
Sony has long wanted a multiplayer game in Horizon
Why will there be an MMORPG for Horizon? As reported by the website VGC, Guerrilla Games – the developers of Horizon – and Sony wanted to include a co-op mode in the first game Zero Dawn. This was cut to focus on the remaining game content. There was also no multiplayer for the successor Forbidden West.
However, Sony is said to be very interested in establishing a multiplayer and ideally even a service game for the IP. An MMORPG would fit in well with this.
However, there were also some leaks in early 2023 regarding a multiplayer from Guerrilla Games. For Horizon fans, there seem to be some highlights in the coming years.
When might we learn more? From November 16 to 19, the G-Star will take place. This is the largest gaming fair in Korea. New titles are usually presented here. NCSoft will participate, and the fair is expected to be really big this year, with Krafton, Epic Games, Smilegate (Lost Ark), and Nexon present.
It is quite possible that Sony and NCSoft will reveal more about the Horizon MMORPG there.
Does the idea of an MMORPG in the world of Horizon appeal to you? And what must it definitely offer to be interesting for you?
NCSoft is also currently working on the game Throne and Liberty. Recently, there was positive news: The new MMORPG Throne and Liberty shows its revised combat system – now promises PvE dungeons.
