In the wake of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, questions are being asked of Sony about how it plans to combat Call of Duty’s uncertain future within the PlayStation ecosystem. This isn’t the first time that these sorts of questions have been presented to the Japanese corporation; back during the PS2 and PS3-eras, the topic of how Sony would challenge Microsoft’s Halo was often a popular topic of discussion among players. It’s for these reasons that fans have been looking to the past recently, highlighting first-person shooters that were presented as answers at the time like Guerrilla Games’ Killzone: Shadow Fall.
With the studio having become a powerhouse amongst Sony’s first party lineup following the success of Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s sometimes easy to overlook the studio’s journey up until Aloy’s creation. In the franchise’s heyday, Killzone was a popular staple in the PlayStation first party lineup. Since Killzone: Shadow Falls’ launch alongside the PS4 in 2013, though, the franchise has gradually faded from the spotlight. Even though players might be tempted to seek out the game for some nostalgic multiplayer action, especially considering what’s happened in 2022 so far, what awaits them online might not be so enticing.
Shadow Fall’s Player Base
It won’t come as much of a surprise to anyone, considering how the game launched nearly a decade ago, but Killzone: Shadow Fall’s once vibrant community has now all but evaporated. Even though it's still technically possible to get into a multiplayer lobby, thanks to the fact that the game’s servers are still online, there’s now only a handful of options and players awaiting those looking to do so. On an average day in 2022, four official lobbies that were created by Guerrilla Games remain the only options accessible to players. In terms of specific game modes, only variations on Team Deathmatch and Killzone’s Classic Warzone mode are selectable, as an error code awaits anyone trying to get into the game’s once popular 24-player Domination mode.
At certain points in the week, particularly in the evenings and at weekends, it’s technically possible to still get into a full Team Deathmatch lobby. Anyone seeking to do more than that is going to be sadly disappointed, though, as the game’s dedicated player base is too low for anything else to be viable. It’s not hard to envision there being occasional bumps beyond this footing throughout the year, as Sony’s seasonal PlayStation Network sales frequently lower Shadow Fall’s price. Still, thanks to the fact that Killzone’s official website has been shut down, aspects of the game like its clan system will forever remain completely inaccessible.
Hackers and Bots in Shadow Fall
It should be noted, despite there being some occasional glimpses of life, what actually awaits players looking to play Killzone: Shadow Fall online in 2022 isn't always ideal. In recent years, for example, there's been frequent reports of players running into others using exploits and glitches to gain an upper hand. Technical issues that leave the screen completely black, or with a Predator-esque heat vision filtered over things, have also popped up since the launch of the PS5. This is particularly saddening to see based on the fact that Killzone's mix of frenetic gun play and realistic character movement remains a combination that's hard to find in multiplayer gaming.
Considering that Guerrilla Games is set to launch Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 and PS5 in less than a month’s time, it’s understandable why the studio hasn’t gone back to stamp out the problems facing its first-person shooter. Thankfully, a workaround to the problem exists already, as Killzone: Shadow Fall launched in 2013 with the ability to add AI controlled Bots to matches. While it’s admittedly not quite the same as facing off against a real human being, players can create cheater-free multiplayer lobbies offline in Botzone whilst simulating a multiplayer experience. Guerrilla Games included an impressive array of options for the experience as well, meaning it can be tailored to specific player needs and sensibilities.
Even though Sony’s shooter is still technically alive, in reality what awaits players in 2022 is an unfortunate husk of Killzone’s former glory. Fortunately, with the publisher once again being forced to examine its first party developed exclusives in reaction to Microsoft’s acquisitions, there’s a chance that the franchise could make a return in the future. Guerrilla Games has been rumored on several occasions to be working on a new multiplayer title, while potential partnerships with studios like Deviation Games could also bear exciting results. For now, though, Killzone Shadow Fall is a clear example of the franchise's dormancy.
Killzone: Shadow Fall is available for the PS4.