PlayStation boss says he's "feeling pretty good" about Horizon Forbidden West launching in 2021

(Image credit: Guerrilla Games)

The odds of Horizon Forbidden West launching on time are "pretty good", according to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan.

In light of the impact that COVID-19 has had on game development around the world and the recent delay of PS5 exclusive Returnal, Ryan was asked by GQ how "fixed" Sony's 2021 roadmap was looking. In response, the SIE president said that the company is "feeling pretty good about Returnal, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Horizon Forbidden West," suggesting that all of those games were likely to hit their release windows.

Ryan went on to say that "there are two approaches to this: you can either hold the date and put out the game irrespective of quality or you can ship it when it's right. We have always taken the latter approach. In this world, where creative people are working remotely, you've just got to respect the fact that development needs to take what it needs to take and to get the games right."

While Returnal and the new Ratchet & Clank game both have spring release dates that Sony seems likely to hit, there's a bigger question mark over Horizon Forbidden West, which was only announced last year for a generic 2021 release. A window that wide is most at risk of slipping, but fans of Aloy will likely be glad to hear Ryan's vote of confidence.

It's interesting to note, however, that that confidence doesn't seem to extend to all of the upcoming PS5 games. Ryan's comments have already sparked speculation that God of War: Ragnarok is likely to be delayed, after he didn't mention the sequel - also slated for a 2021 release - in his roadmap. Elsewhere, a Sony representative confirmed to GQ that Gran Turismo 7 had already been delayed into 2022.

For the ones you won't have to wait for, here are the PS5 launch games.

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I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for news, shaping the news strategy across the team. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.