Studio Gobo, which has supported the development of games including Redfall and Hogwarts Legacy, announces its partnered with Guerrilla Games to work on future Horizon projects. Guerrilla Games has taken the success of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West and run with it, confirming in December 2022 that multiple Horizon projects were currently in development. Horizon appears to have grown beyond what Guerrilla Games can manage, and Studio Gobo is there to make up the difference.Studio Gobo isn't unique in the video game development industry. There are many very successful support studios, each with different talents and focuses. Studio Gobo's talent is helping bring to fruition major AAA games, with a focus on character action titles. The specifics of what Studio Gobo does likely depend on the product, but its list of partners speaks for itself. Ubisoft, WB Games, Microsoft Game Studios, Bethesda, Disney, Tencent, and now Sony's Guerrilla Games, have all worked with Studio Gobo in the past.Guerrilla Games is just Studio Gobo's latest partner, but it's clearly a significant one. Studio Gobo posted a recruitment message on Twitter confirming that it was now a "co-development partner" for the Horizon universe going forward. Unlike previous work, which was project-focused, Studio Gobo's partnership with Guerrilla Games seems much broader and perhaps long-term.
The announcement, as stated, was shared for recruitment purposes. The Twitter message shared a link to Studio Gobo's job page, which included listings for positions including senior-level gameplay programmers, engine programmers, environment artists, and systems programmers. Suffice it to say, Studio Gobo is looking to recruit high-level talent for some key positions. That it's only hiring for a limited number of roles indicates that it isn't massively expanding, however.
Exactly what Studio Gobo will be working on remains a mystery, of course. Another solo Aloy adventure game is believed to be in development, as well as a multiplayer co-op game. There are also rumors of a Horizon Zero Dawn remaster, which Guerrilla itself isn't believed to be working on. Studio Gobo could be working on any one of these projects, all of these projects, or on something else altogether.
This is exciting news for fans of the Horizon games that want to see more from it. Studio Gobo will help Guerrilla Games reach its goals, whatever they may be. With that said, short of a remaster, port, or DLC/expansion, it's likely to be years before any full Horizon sequels or spin-offs are released. Expect to hear more regarding Studio Gobo's work on Horizon in time.