When fans first heard the rumor that Horizon Forbidden West might be delayed into 2022, it defined dialogue around the game for a while. Across most of 2020 and all of 2021, the games industry has been suffering from an ongoing deluge of delays for AAA games and indie games alike due to the difficulties of game development during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. At Gamescom 2021, Horizon Zero Dawn fans learned for certain that Horizon Forbidden West was getting delayed out of 2021, putting any uncertainty to rest.
However, fans now have a hard release date for Horizon Forbidden West in early 2022, assuring fans that this anticipated PlayStation title will release soon. There's always the possibility that the date gets pushed back, since there's nearly six months to go, but a specific release date suggests the end of Horizon Forbidden West's journey is in sight. It does seem to come with a price, though. When Guerrilla Games announced the date, it specified Forbidden West was coming to PS4 and PS5, with no mention of a PC version. Horizon Forbidden West probably isn't launching on PC, meaning it could take a long time to get to that audience.
The Ironic Hope of Horizon Forbidden West's Delay
Guerrilla Games hasn't publicized any plans to put Horizon Forbidden West on PC so far, it has been very specific about the game coming to PS4 and PS5 on the whole. Even so, when Horizon Forbidden West faced its most recent delay, it offered one last glimmer than hope that the game could launch on PC rather than waiting several years like Horizon Zero Dawn did. In June 2021, game director Mathijs de Jonge expressed optimism about Horizon Forbidden West's state of development and its odds of releasing in 2021. That meant when the delay rumors came forward, it offered a small chance that Guerrilla Games needed extra time to finish something like a secret PC edition of Horizon Forbidden West.
It certainly would have made sense for Guerrilla to get Horizon Forbidden West to PC at launch. Horizon Zero Dawn took a long time to get to PC, and it had a difficult launch due to a laundry list of bugs and performance issues, but Guerrilla Games' diligent fixes have resulted in an enthusiastic Horizon fanbase on the platform. In general, it's good business to get Horizon Forbidden West on PC; doing so with Horizon Zero Dawn helped the acclaimed title reach a new audience of potential fans, including people who don't have a PlayStation, meaning they otherwise can't play the series. Now that Horizon Zero Dawn has a PC presence, it only makes sense to reinforce that presence by adding Horizon Forbidden West too.
Horizon Forbidden West on PC Isn't In Sight
Although the opportunity for a PC launch was there, after Gamescom 2021 it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Gamescom would've been the perfect venue to announce another platform for the game, doubling down on the impact of the release date announcement. Instead, Guerrilla Games focused on PlayStation platforms. That makes it seem like a theoretical PC edition has missed the boat for arriving at launch. Horizon Forbidden West has a concrete release date now, and it'd be strange to suddenly tack a new launch platform on in the few months ahead of release. The release date was essentially the last big Forbidden West announcement that fans needed, so there's not much room for more.
Of course, just because Horizon Forbidden West isn't launching on PC doesn't mean it won't get there. On the contrary, it seems likely that Guerrilla Games will start work on a PC version as soon as Horizon Forbidden West releases for PS4 and PS5. The PC gaming market is too big for Forbidden West to miss out on, especially after Zero Dawn opened the door. Now that PC fans have had a taste of Horizon, Guerrilla will have to face the fans' frustration if it doesn't show any sign at all of developing Forbidden West for PC.
Still, Guerrilla Games is missing an opportunity to generate bigger launch sales. Even if PC fans will still buy Horizon Forbidden West later, getting massive sales on three platforms would've given Guerrilla some bragging rights. Additionally, it might have been more practical to develop the PC version alongside the PS4 and PS5 versions. That way Guerrilla could configure each edition of the game side by side, rather than needing to look over its shoulder at the other versions when trying to make the game work on PC.
Horizon Fans on PC Will Have to Wait
There is a business-savvy reason that Guerrilla Games likely isn't putting Horizon Forbidden West on PC at launch. Horizon is one of Sony's biggest IPs right now, so as Guerrilla Games' parent company, Sony probably doesn't want the game to release on PC right away. Sony has a vested interest in selling as many copies as possible on PS4 and PS5 first. Exclusive titles are always a major selling point for a console, so Sony probably isn't keen on letting other platforms have access to Horizon Forbidden West yet, especially so early in the lifespan of the PS5.
No matter how smart it is for Sony's business, though, it's a loss for PC fans. If the Horizon Zero Dawn PC versiom suggests anything, it'll easily be two or three years before Forbidden West release elsewhere. Still, Sony's increasing willingness to let big-ticket games like Death Stranding go to PC suggests Horizon Forbidden West will do the same eventually. It's just a shame to know that it isn't a part of the game's initial release. For now, Horizon fans on all platforms will just have to be happy that the game looks like it might finally be done, barring another final-hour delay.
Horizon Forbidden West releases for PS4 and PS5 on February 18, 2022.