Horizon (video game series)
Post-apocalyptic open-world series blending tribal combat and machine hunting.
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The mainline entries follow Aloy, a young outcast who discovers she is a clone of a 21st-century scientist and works to stop rogue AIs from causing mass extinction.[1] The Horizon franchise comprises action role-playing games that take place in a world after an apocalypse, where robotic creatures resembling animals inhabit the environment.[2]
Timeline of the series
7 releases, 2017–2024. Select one to open its entry.
Dates: Wikipedia: Horizon (video game series) (CC BY-SA 4.0) · pictures are the credited photos of the linked entries
Making and release
The game was developed by Amsterdam-based Guerrilla Games, which began conceptualising the project after the release of Killzone 3 in 2011.[3] The project required a budget of over €45 million and a team of roughly 270 internal employees, supplemented by 18 outsourcing studios.[3] From a set of about 40 internal proposals, the chosen concept centered on three elements: nature, robotic dinosaurs, and a female lead character.[3][4] In 2016, Guerrilla renamed their in-house engine to Decima after making modifications to support the game's world generation.[5]
The Thunderjaw, a machine inspired by Tyrannosaurus rex, served as the initial proof of concept for the franchise; its creation from an initial sketch to a working in-game model required 18 months.[6] Work on Forbidden West started in 2018, and the total production expenditure was around US$212 million.[7] To manage disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent mandatory overtime, the studio pushed the launch to 2022.[7]
What the cited sources add
Norris explained that because the game is based around crafting, players always shoot parts off machines rather than specific pieces.[4] Kollar also observed that the only notably mundane moments in Horizon Zero Dawn occur when the game forces the player to fight against other humans.[8] The article also stated that writer Anne Toole and narrative director Ben McCaw, who penned the stories for both the game and the first comic series, returned for this new adventure.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Horizon (video game series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mason, "Horizon Zero Dawn Story Explained: Recapping What Happened Before Forbidden West", GameSpot, 18 February 2022 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Horizon (video game series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wallace, "What We Loved About Our Hands-On Time with Horizon Zero Dawn", 9 September 2017; Cardy, "Horizon Call of the Mountain Review", IGN, 16 February 2023; Loveridge, "Horizon Call of the Mountain Review: "Stunning, Captivating, and Truly Horizon"", GamesRadar+, 16 February 2023; Robinson, "Lego Horizon Adventures Was One of Summer Game Fest's Most Pleasant Surprises", Video Games Chronicle, 13 June 2024; Delaney, "Lego Horizon Adventures Review — For Buildin' Jest", GameSpot, 13 November 2024; Mason, "Horizon Zero Dawn en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Horizon (video game series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kato, "The Origins & World of Horizon Zero Dawn", 26 June 2015; Weber, "1 Hour with Horizon Zero Dawn: A Total Noob's Perspective", VentureBeat, 3 February 2017; Davies, "The Art of Horizon Zero Dawn", Titan Books, 28 February 2017; Yin-Poole, "Killzone Dev Guerrilla Confirms Work on New IP Has Begun", Eurogamer, 30 September 2013; Kato, "The Origins & World of Horizon Zero Dawn", 26 June 2015; Kist, "Horizon Zero Dawn: hoe de grootste Nederlandse mediaproductie tot stand kwam", NRC Handelsblad, 26 February 2017 (we also rea en.wikipedia.org
- Kato, "The Origins & World of Horizon Zero Dawn", 26 June 2015. facts only, no text reused. gameinformer.com
- Wikipedia, "Horizon (video game series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Alexander, "Decima Engine: New Horizons", 4 April 2017; Weber, "1 Hour with Horizon Zero Dawn: A Total Noob's Perspective", VentureBeat, 3 February 2017; "Horizon Zero Dawn's Lead Writer on the Game's Biggest Mysteries", Game Informer, 26 September 2016; "Horizon Zero Dawn's Lead Writer on the Game's Biggest Mysteries", Game Informer, 26 September 2016; Massongill, "Completing the Experience: 3D Audio and the Sound of Horizon Zero Dawn", PlayStation Blog, 31 August 2017; Flint, "Scoring Horizon Zero Dawn", July 2017; Flint, en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Horizon (video game series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kato, "The Origins & World of Horizon Zero Dawn", 26 June 2015; Francis, "3 Game Design Nuggets from Horizon Zero Dawn Designer Eric Boltjes", Game Developer, 1 March 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Horizon (video game series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ingraham, "Guerrilla Games Explains Why Horizon Forbidden West Works Well on the PS4", Engadget, 17 February 2022; Barker, "Random: Guerrilla Games Moved Into Its New Office, and Raised a Flag in Dramatic Fashion", Push Square, 6 August 2020; Maessen, "Nederlandse gameontwikkelaar Guerrilla: 'Spellen van dit niveau zijn heel moeilijk te ontwikkelen, maar het is ook ontzettend tof'", NRC Handelsblad, 28 June 2021; Wood, "PlayStation Accidentally Reveals $200m+ Development Costs for Horizon Forbidden West and The Last of Us Pa en.wikipedia.org
- Kollar, "Horizon Zero Dawn Review", Polygon, 20 February 2017. facts only, no text reused. polygon.com
- Stewart, "Horizon Zero Dawn Comic Returns with a New Story Arc This July", 21 April 2021. facts only, no text reused. gameinformer.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Horizon (video game series) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Horizon (video game series) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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