For the last few months, fans have largely accepted that they won't hear from Sony and its games over the summer. Sony has very intentionally bowed out of E3, the biggest game news conference of the season, so fans haven't been sure when to expect more news about its projects. Recently, though, Sony surprised fans with a gameplay reveal for Horizon Forbidden West, showing off some new features in one of its most hotly anticipated games. The future of Horizon Forbidden West looks bright thanks to the upgrades and additions to combat that Guerrilla Games is coming up with. This sequel is determined to distinguish itself from the previous game in a good way.
Horizon Forbidden West's gameplay reveal would seem to send an additional message at a glance. If Sony is going to release this reveal before summer events, then the implication is that this is what Sony and Guerrilla can offer fans for the foreseeable future. However, it might be an appetizer, rather than a snack meant to tide fans over. Although Sony is skipping E3, it will be participating in Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest. There's a good chance that Sony will have more to say about Horizon Forbidden West at Summer Game Fest.
The Advent of Summer Game Fest
Summer is the season of game news. E3 2021 is brewing, and nearly every major player in the game industry will be there, determined to make a comeback after everyone shared in a difficult 2020 due to the pandemic. Summer Game Fest is also making a comeback, perhaps to the surprise of some. Geoff Keighley assembled this effort to help game news get out in 2020 since E3 was canceled, and it was a pretty big help. Even now that normal game news events like E3 and Nintendo Directs are starting to get back on schedule, there's always room for more events like Summer Game Fest to get the news out.
Sony is skipping out on E3, but thanks to Summer Game Fest, it has another venue where it can interact with other members of the game industry and get some news out. The independent State of Play events are always a good way to get the word out, but more public events that bring the industry together are a better way to reach out to people who aren't already Sony fans. That's a big reason that Horizon Forbidden West might be there. Although Horizon Zero Dawn was already a big success and has a strong fanbase, bringing Horizon Forbidden West to Summer Game Fest could help Sony appeal to new potential fans.
More Word on Horizon Forbidden West
There's plenty that Sony could still say about Horizon Forbidden West. Maybe it's preparing a new trailer that'll give fans a better sense of Horizon Forbidden West's story. Alternatively, there might be a second, more detailed gameplay explainer that reveals even more information about new mechanics both inside and outside of combat. Summer Game Fest would be a great venue for nailing down Horizon Forbidden West's release date, too. Any of these could make Sony one of the big talking points of Keighley's series of events.
Admittedly, it's possible that Sony doesn't plan on discussing Horizon Forbidden West during Summer Game Fest. There's plenty of other important Sony projects on the way. For instance, the God of War sequel is as important a sequel as Horizon Forbidden West. Also, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart comes out right at the beginning of Summer Game Fest, so Sony might want to comment on the game before release. Even with these other big games on the way, though, the odds are good that Horizon Forbidden West will get acknowledged at the upcoming event. It's one of Sony's biggest new IPs, and so it's worth covering extensively.
Horizon Forbidden West releases for PS4 and PS5 in 2021.