Guerrilla Games has reportedly reworked Horizon Hunters Gathering to strip out its live service elements, according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, after early private playtests drew negative feedback. Sources say the studio has been rebuilding the title since June into a more traditional co-op multiplayer game with a story mode and a much smaller scope, though it has not been cancelled outright. The move matters because it is the latest in a long line of setbacks for Sony's push into live service gaming, raising fresh doubts over whether PlayStation can land a hit in the genre.

Guerrilla Games reportedly has until December to satisfy PlayStation executives, with many developers from the project being moved onto another in-house title that is itself under review at year's end. The report situates the reboot within a broader pattern of live service troubles at Sony, including the shutdown of Concord, the cancellation of Bluepoint's God of War live service game, the axing of Naughty Dog's Last of Us multiplayer project when reportedly 80% complete, a scrapped Twisted Metal battle royale, Marathon's weak performance, and the quietly stalled Fairgames, which lost its director last year.