Horizon Forbidden West Developer Squashes Cross-Gen Concerns

When Horizon Forbidden West releases later this year, the game will be available on both the [...]

By Marc Deschamps

When Horizon Forbidden West releases later this year, the game will be available on both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Despite the fact that the game will release on Sony's current and last-gen console, game director Mathijs de Jonge told Hardware Zone that developing on both systems did not limit developer Guerrilla Games. Instead, it seems that players should still expect to see Horizon Forbidden West push the limits of the PS5 hardware in a number of different ways. For those that are eager to play the game on the next-gen system, this should come as very good news!

"I don't think the cross-generation development was limiting in any way. When we started with the concept of this game, we had so many great ideas that ended up being included - to the point that we didn't really think about hardware limitations or anything, we just wanted to design a really nice, unique experience for the player," de Jonge told Hardware Zone. "An awesome adventure. That's how we also brainstormed all the quests and events the player is going to go through. I think that the big delta between these two consoles, apart from the 3D audio, quick loading and DualSense of course, is on the graphical side of things. On the PlayStation 5, we can add so much more detail graphically. We can see the tiny hairs on Aloy's face, for example. You can also see a ton of detail from far away."

Cross-gen releases have proven a bit controversial with some gamers. On one hand, the PlayStation 5 has proven incredibly difficult to come by, and the global chip shortage is making it harder for Sony to produce enough systems to meet demand. Making games available on both PS4 and PS5 gives Sony a much bigger pool of potential customers, and fewer players will have to wait to check out these games for themselves. On the other hand, those that have upgraded to the new hardware feel they might not get a truly "next-gen" experience if developers are forced to water it down to make sure it can be done on PS4, as well.

Fortunately, those fears seem to be misplaced! de Jonge says that the experience hasn't been a problem for the team, and that should be good enough for most gamers. Of course, fans will just have to see for themselves when Horizon Forbidden West releases on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. In the meantime, you can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

Are you looking forward to playing Horizon Forbidden West? What do you think about the game releasing on both platforms? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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