Guerrilla Games' Horizon Multiplayer: Aiming High or Playing it Safe?
Guerrilla Games' upcoming Horizon multiplayer game is generating significant buzz, with recent evidence suggesting ambitious player projections or, alternatively, a cautious approach to avoid launch-day server issues.
A recent job listing for a Senior Platform Engineer revealed a requirement for experience with "1M+ user globally distributed systems." This strongly implies Guerrilla anticipates a player base exceeding one million, showcasing considerable confidence in the game's appeal. The studio may be proactively building a robust live-service infrastructure capable of handling such a large player count.
However, this high player projection could also be a preventative measure. The disastrous server issues experienced by Helldivers 2 at launch, due to unexpectedly high player numbers, serve as a cautionary tale. Guerrilla might be prioritizing a smooth launch experience by preparing for a potentially massive influx of players, regardless of whether the Horizon multiplayer game achieves similar levels of immediate success.
While the official announcement remains pending, the game's lengthy development period (with hints from job listings dating back to 2018) and a recent job posting suggesting a new Horizon release in 2025, strongly suggest a reveal is imminent. Given the time elapsed since Horizon Forbidden West and its DLC, this 2025 release is likely the long-awaited multiplayer title. The scale of the planned infrastructure further strengthens this hypothesis.
