Although the franchise is familiar, this will not be a single-player title, but rather an MMORPG, a genre in which NCsoft is an expert.
The announcement of Horizon Steel Frontiers has raised many questions among fans of both the franchise and the genre. How exactly will it work? Horizon games have traditionally been single-player only, with the exception of the spin-off Lego Horizon Adventures. IGN received some answers in an interview with executive producer Lee Sunggu. Lee acknowledged that the cooperative hunting featured in Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise had a significant influence on Steel Frontiers, an MMORPG set in the world created by Guerrilla Games. It is therefore no surprise that Lee highlights cities and guilds as key elements of the game.
“Monster Hunter was definitely one of the key inspirations for Steel Frontiers. When we started expanding Horizon’s core concept of hunting massive machines into a multiplayer experience, the cooperative hunting system from the Monster Hunter series felt like a natural reference point. From the beginning, combining Horizon’s rich world with the hunting action genre made sense. When you add Horizon’s unique machine ecosystem, part-breaking mechanics, and deep storytelling, the result is something that feels distinctive, a uniquely Steel Frontiers experience.
In Horizon Steel Frontiers, towns and guilds are the heart of the community. Towns serve as central hubs where players gather, prepare for hunts, and connect with one another. Out in the field, you can team up with other players you meet spontaneously, or you can join forces in planned, strategic cooperative play to take down tougher machines. These moments, whether unexpected or carefully coordinated, strengthen the bonds between players. Of course, we support all the core social features you would expect from an MMORPG, such as friends lists, chat, and party systems, so that players can communicate and collaborate seamlessly,” said Lee.
The executive producer also discussed changes to the combat system. While Guerrilla’s single-player games are famously focused on ranged combat, the early gameplay footage already shows that this title will lean much more into close-quarters action, forcing players to decide when to dodge and when to go on the offensive against the machines. As an MMORPG, the game will support small parties and medium-sized raids, since truly large-scale raids would become chaotic with this style of combat. Even though Guerrilla teased some tribal competition in the announcement video, Lee says that the content will primarily focus on PvE elements. There was no mention of Aloy or other familiar characters appearing. However, Lee confirmed that the game will be powered by Unreal Engine 5 rather than the Decima Engine.
Horizon Steel Frontiers is expected to launch in late 2026 or early 2027 on Android, iOS, and PC. However, NCsoft hopes to bring the game to PlayStation 5 as well.
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