The two ‘Horizon‘ games for PS4/PS5 were two high-ranking, multi-award-winning titles and there’s been much speculation about how the franchise would continue. The original Horizon – Zero Dawn, released in 2017, was followed at the start of 2022 by Horizon – Forbidden West which expanded the story of Aloy, the flame-haired young woman with a genetic connection to a scientist who had tried to save the world hundreds of years previously. Aly now lived in a version of America that knew nothing of its real history but which had become a series of tribal societies menaced by machines that had originally been designed to help resurrect humanity but had long since been corrupted. The games were a mixture of shoot -em-ups and problem solving with superior graphics and clever strategies involved.
It was revealed in May that there were tentative plans being made to adapt the concept for a television series via Netflix, but those kind of plans take a long time to make it through to an audience and there’s still no certainty that Netflix will move forward quickly with what would be a phenomenally-pricey concept to bring to the screen.
One thing that was almost certain was another follow-up and there’s been much talk over the last few months of a DLC (which stands for extra ‘downloadable content’) spin-off game that was rumoured to be in the works. That has now been confirmed. Horizon – Forbidden West: Burning Shores will debut on 19th April 2023 and see Aloy wing her way to the rubbles of what was once Los Angeles.
The release announcement from SONY and Guerilla Games at this year’s Game Awards revealed: Today we’re thrilled to announce Burning Shores, our expansion to Horizon Forbidden West which sees Aloy pursue a sinister threat in the untamed wilds of Los Angeles, now a treacherous volcanic archipelago. She will be traveling to a dangerous new region south of the Tenakth Clan Lands, featuring a compelling storyline following from where Horizon Forbidden West ended, new characters, adventures, and more—some details which we look forward to sharing with you very soon!
The only bad news is that the release is exclusive to the PS5, so for those who have played the games to date on the PS4, it will mean a pricey upgrade to continue the adventures…
