Players are anxiously awaiting the release of Horizon: Forbidden West in February to see what Aloy's new adventure has in store for her. As new rumors are indicating, fans might get one last look at Horizon: Forbidden West before its release in a special event allegedly happening in the near future.
As Sony does with most of its first-party releases, it has gradually been pulling back the curtain on Horizon: Forbidden West over the past few months. Official blog releases have detailed many of Horizon: Forbidden West's new elements like its traversal, combat, and tribes that Aloy will encounter.
Notable recent PlayStation releases like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, or a bit further back, Ghost of Tsushima, have offered "final preview" like showings where players get a last deep dive into the game before its release. Unfortunately, the seal on Horizon: Forbidden West hasn't been the tightest, as a PS4 build of the game has leaked.
Originally reported by Sammy Barker of PushSquare, it is believed a new Horizon: Forbidden West event will happen sometime in early February. The rumor comes from freelancer and notable leaker Tom Henderson, who discusses their knowledge of PlayStation next game presentation in a new YouTube video.
According to Henderson's insider information and observations of previous PlayStation game launches, they believe a new State of Play event is on the horizon and could be coming as soon as February 3. This event, Henderson explains, would enable PlayStation to give a final preview for Horizon: Forbidden West while also spotlighting other upcoming titles surrounding it like Sifu and Gran Turismo 7.
Before players get their hopes up about a State of Play, they should remember just how general that event title has become. While PlayStation has used State of Play events in the past to show off its larger games, other instances like the October State of Play have been primarily indie-game focused. Barker reiterates Henderson's beliefs that a lot of notable information could come from this State of Play, like what's happening with Hogwarts Legacy, another God of War: Ragnarok preview, or a brief presentation on the PSVR2. PlayStation has yet to formally announce any such event for February.
It is well within reason that a new PlayStation event may be here within the next couple of weeks. Very rarely has PlayStation released a title without some sort of final presentation, and considering the amount of anticipation that State of Plays drum up, it would be remiss not to gather its previews for a show.
If PlayStation doesn't do this, that means players would likely be getting final showings of Horizon: Forbidden West, Sifu, and others on their own, which from a marketing standpoint is going to hurt all those games. Horizon: Forbidden West could probably stand by itself, but there is exposure to be had in a State of Play that the game on its own may not bring.
Horizon: Forbidden West launches for PS4 and PS5 on February 18.
Source: PushSquare