Fans of Horizon Zero Dawn and sequel Horizon Forbidden West have been waiting for news of a threequel now for a few years – but with Horizon Hunters Gathering underway, it seems the community might have to wait a bit longer.
Developer Guerrilla and publisher Sony's beloved post-apocalyptic action RPG series is on the minds of many a fan now, with news of multiplayer spin-off Horizon Hunters Gathering having just surfaced days ago – out of the blue, too, as many folks would argue.
With the new title coming, what's happening with the unannounced third mainline project? According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, it's likely not a priority at the moment.
I believe most of the studio is on this
— @jasonschreier.bsky.social (@jasonschreier.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-02-09T10:41:21.731Z
Over on Bluesky, a Horizon player asks Schreier if a "separate team" from the one working on the series' main entries is working on Hunters Gathering. In response, he explains that he believes "most of the studio is on this" – which, unsurprisingly, would make the spin-off the priority right now, in terms of development.
Another fan chimes in with an "Oh no!" After all, this would also likely mean a delay in a third Horizon title's progress.
"I expected they're working on Horizon 3! I assume we can't expect for it to launch before a long time then," their frantic response continues. Schreier simply responds, "Yup."
Other folks don't think Hunters Gathering has that much of an impact on the threequel's own timeline, though. "I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve with this comment," as one fan puts it. "Horizon 3 is already in development. Forbidden West came out in 2022."
Yup
— @jasonschreier.bsky.social (@jasonschreier.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-02-09T10:41:21.791Z
They continue, describing how AAA games usually take five or more years to develop, which makes a third Horizon's later launch not "some kind of a delay" but rather its normal course of progress.
Honestly, I'd say it's likely a mix of both arguments here – Hunters Gathering is potentially the focus right now, but a Horizon Forbidden West follow-up was probably not in the cards for quite some time. It is only 2026.
