Horizon MMO: Burning Questions Answered By Dev About Aloy, Combat, Inspirations, And More

Sony and NCSoft have officially announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, a mobile-first, multiplayer-focused MMO set in the Horizon universe. The game is currently in development for mobile and PC, but surprisingly, it is not planned for Sony’s flagship PlayStation 5.

Executive producer Sunggu Lee spoke with IGN and addressed several fan questions, including whether Aloy will appear, how combat works, and what inspired the project.

When asked if Aloy or other familiar Horizon characters will show up in Steel Frontiers, Lee explained, “We haven’t finalized whether characters from the original game will appear, so it’s too early to share any specific plans.”

Lee also clarified that the game is set firmly within the Horizon universe, but in a completely new region known as the Deadlands—a zone inspired by Arizona and New Mexico. “While Aloy and her allies are fighting for the fate of the world in the north, the southern Deadlands face a new threat. Players step into the role of machine hunters drawn to this dangerous frontier,” he said.

Discussing gameplay, Lee said that while Steel Frontiers preserves the core idea of hunting huge machines, the combat systems differ significantly from the main games. “In Steel Frontiers, it’s all about managing distance and making quick decisions—when to attack and when to dodge. We kept the tension of the original hunts but redesigned the combat to offer a fresh multiplayer hunting experience,” he explained.

Lee also revealed that NCSoft took heavy inspiration from Capcom’s Monster Hunter series. “Monster Hunter was definitely one of the key inspirations. As we expanded Horizon’s concept of battling massive machines into a multiplayer format, the cooperative hunting system from Monster Hunter felt like a natural reference point,” he said.

The producer went on to discuss platform differences. “Mobile offers quick, on-the-go session play, while PC provides a richer, more strategic combat experience—each platform playing to its strengths,” Lee noted.

Horizon Steel Frontiers does not yet have a release date. Meanwhile, fans of the main Horizon series still have more to look forward to, as Guerrilla Games has confirmed that additional Horizon games are in development, including a seemingly non-MMO multiplayer project.

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