I just saw Guerrilla turn Horizon into an MMO with NCSOFT, and I’ve got questions

Horizon goes full MMO-here’s why that matters

NCSOFT and Guerrilla just made the long-rumored Horizon MMO official with Horizon Steel Frontiers, revealed at G-Star 2025. The headline for players isn’t just “Horizon, but online.” It’s that Guerrilla’s precision hunting-reading machine behaviors, breaking parts, crafting ammo on the fly-is being adapted into large-scale, cross-platform PC and mobile play via NCSOFT’s PURPLE. If they pull it off, we could finally get the co-op machine hunts Horizon fans have fantasized about for years. If they don’t, we get another auto-grindy, monetized-to-hell sandbox wearing a beloved IP’s skin.

Key takeaways

• Confirmed: a global MMORPG in the Horizon universe, developed by NCSOFT with Guerrilla involved, revealed alongside a debut trailer and dev commentary.
• Cross-platform on PC and mobile (via PURPLE). No console mention yet—unusual for a Sony-owned IP.
• Pitches “deeply customizable combat” and “extensive player freedom.” The big question: will Horizon’s skill-based hunting survive MMO and mobile design trends?
• Details will drip out via the official site; no release window or business model announced.

Breaking down the announcement (minus the marketing fog)

Set in a region called the Deadlands, Steel Frontiers promises the series’ “signature hunting-action” rebuilt around MMO systems and large-scale battles. The reveal package includes a trailer, a developer interview, and a 10-minute gameplay/dev commentary where NCSOFT leadership and Guerrilla’s Jan-Bart Van Beek talk up the collaboration. That last bit matters: Guerrilla’s art direction and lore supervision can keep this feeling like Horizon, even if the day-to-day gameplay lands squarely in NCSOFT’s wheelhouse.

Cross-platform is framed around NCSOFT’s PURPLE client—meaning PC and mobile are locked in at launch. That’s a notable omission for PlayStation, given Sony owns Horizon. Maybe the team wants to solve input and UI for touch first, or it’s a platform strategy play by NCSOFT. Either way, it’s a flag: don’t assume a PS5 version unless they say it.

Why this move actually makes sense (and where it could go wrong)

On paper, Horizon is tailor-made for cooperative hunts. The combat thrives on prep and precision: scan a machine, target weak points, strip components, leverage elements, and use traps to control space. In an MMO, that translates naturally to roles and group synergy—trappers laying shock lines, “parts-breakers” specced for tear damage, long-range elemental support, and close-quarters brawlers juggling aggro with stagger tools. Picture 8-16 players dismantling a land-sized apex machine across phases while teams split to disable generators and protect harpoon crews. That’s the fantasy Steel Frontiers can own if it embraces coordination over zerg DPS races.

The risk is also obvious: NCSOFT’s modern catalog leans hard into mobile-friendly progression, heavy monetization, and, too often, autoplay. Horizon’s combat is about intent and timing. If Steel Frontiers leans into auto-pathing, auto-combat, or “recommended equipment” that compresses buildcraft into a gacha roll, the identity of Horizon gets sanded down to a damage treadmill. The press materials promise “deeply customizable combat”—great—but the implementation is everything. Give us meaningful modding (coils, elemental conversions, part-specific perks) and team synergies, not passive stat ladders gated behind loot boxes.

What gamers need to know right now

We don’t have a release date, platforms beyond PC/mobile (PURPLE), or a business model. Given NCSOFT’s history, a free-to-play structure with cosmetics, battle passes, and convenience boosts is likely, but that’s speculation until they say so. The trailer reportedly shows large-scale encounters and a slice of the Deadlands, but details like party size, raid structure, open-world events, and whether there’s faction-based PvP are still under wraps.

As for Guerrilla’s role, this reads like NCSOFT doing core development with Guerrilla ensuring world cohesion and visual fidelity. That should help avoid the “licensed spin-off” feel, but don’t expect a single-player narrative in the vein of Zero Dawn/Forbidden West. The bet here is systemic MMO storytelling—tribe politics, player settlements, seasonal machine variants—rather than a tight, Aloy-led campaign.

The big questions I want answered

• Business model: Free-to-play? What’s monetized—cosmetics only, or power and parts? Any gacha systems?
• Combat integrity: No autoplay, right? Are weak points, part-breaking, and trap play central in group content?
• Platforms: Is PlayStation in the plan later? Controller-first support on PC at launch?
• Group scale: Are we talking 4-player hunts, 8-16-player raids, or 50-player world events?
• Progression: Weapon- and coil-based builds or traditional MMO classes? How deep is the crafting loop?
• PvP: Pure PvE or realm/faction warfare à la Aion and Lineage? If PvP exists, how does it fit the Horizon fantasy?
• Cross-play/progression: One account across PC/mobile with real parity, or is mobile a trimmed version?
• Anti-cheat and performance: How is PURPLE handling PC security, latency, and scalable settings for big fights?

Why now—and what it signals

Sony’s been hot-and-cold on live service, but partnering with a studio that built massive-scale MMOs for decades makes sense. For NCSOFT, this is a bid to prove it can deliver a global hit that resonates beyond Korea, anchored by a Western-loved IP. For players, it’s a shot at the co-op Horizon experience we’ve wanted since our first Sawtooth encounter—just delivered through a very different lens.

TL;DR

Horizon Steel Frontiers is real: a global MMO from NCSOFT set in Guerrilla’s world, launching on PC and mobile via PURPLE. The pitch—deeply customizable, large-scale machine hunting—sounds fantastic, but the execution will hinge on preserving Horizon’s skill-based combat and keeping monetization in check. I’m cautiously excited, with a lot of questions.