Sony and NCSOFT have officially unveiled Horizon Steel Frontiers, a new mobile-first MMORPG set in Guerrilla Games’ Horizon universe. The announcement came during G-Star 2025, marking the franchise’s biggest shift since its debut nearly a decade ago.

The game takes players to an unexplored region called the Deadlands, a harsh frontier inspired by the American Southwest. Here, players will step into the role of machine hunters carving out a living amid towering mechanical beasts and a lawless open world. Thousands of players will share the same space, hunting massive machines, scavenging resources, and crafting equipment to survive.

Unlike Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, Steel Frontiers does not feature Aloy as the protagonist. Instead, players will create their own hunter, selecting from familiar tribes such as the Nora, Tenakth, Utaru, and Oseram. Character customization appears to be central to the experience, giving players the freedom to define their look, abilities, and role within the game’s MMO-style structure.

The reveal trailer showcased large-scale machine battles with players using traps, grappling hooks, and mounted weapons to take down giant mechanical creatures. The combat retains the hunting DNA of the Horizon series, but with added cooperative depth. Teams can destroy specific machine parts, climb onto their targets using Pullcasters, and wield dropped weapons to continue the fight.

The project is being developed by NCSOFT in partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment and Guerrilla Games. It is the first Horizon title designed as a persistent online world and will launch on PC, iOS, and Android. A console release has not been confirmed, a surprising move given the franchise’s PlayStation roots.

The game will use NCSOFT’s PURPLE platform, which connects players across devices, allowing seamless play between mobile and PC. That choice reflects a growing strategy from Sony to expand its major properties beyond console audiences, mirroring its broader focus on live-service games and global reach.

For longtime Horizon fans, this new direction raises questions about whether the emotional storytelling and world-building that defined the series will carry over to a multiplayer format. MMOs live or die by their community engagement, content cadence, and balance between freedom and structure. Translating Horizon’s cinematic storytelling into a shared-world format will be a challenge, but one that could redefine what the series can be.

The move to mobile and PC also signals Sony’s intent to compete in markets where large-scale online RPGs dominate, particularly in Asia. NCSOFT, the studio behind Lineage and Guild Wars, brings decades of experience in managing online worlds, suggesting that Steel Frontiers could merge Western design with the depth and longevity of classic MMOs.

While no release date has been confirmed, early reactions have been a mix of excitement and caution. The scope of the game is ambitious, and its success will depend on whether it can maintain the Horizon universe’s identity while embracing MMO mechanics and mobile accessibility.

If done right, Horizon Steel Frontiers could open a new chapter for the series, bringing its world of machines and tribal technology to a global audience. If it stumbles, it may serve as a cautionary tale about how far even the most beloved franchises can stretch before losing their core.