As an NCSoft title, Horizon Steel Frontiers arrives with significant baggage. This is enough of a burden to make veterans extremely skeptical. Still, this project is being developed in partnership with Sony and Guerrilla Games, who have a vested interest in protecting their Horizon brand. That partnership carries a sliver of hope that NCsoft might avoid its usual pitfalls.
Officially unveiled at G-Star 2025 in Busan, Horizon Steel Frontiers is an MMORPG set in the Horizon universe. It is being co-developed by NCsoft and Guerrilla Games, with NCsoft leading production and Guerrilla likely providing creative oversight. The Horizon franchise has sold over 38 million copies worldwide and is widely regarded as one of Sony’s most successful new IPs of the past decade.
Skipping PS5
Surprisingly, Horizon Steel Frontiers has not been announced for PlayStation 5. It will launch on PC, iOS, and Android. A Horizon game skipping PlayStation is unprecedented and unusual given Sony’s historically tight control over its first-party properties. It’s hard to know what this actually means. You could read it as Guerrilla and Sony trying to distance Horizon Steel Frontiers from the rest of the Horizon franchise – including future PlayStation titles. If that’s the case, it might not bode well. Only time will tell, but the signals we’re getting are somewhat contradictory.
Kim Taek-jin, founder and chief executive of NCsoft, used his opening-day appearance at G-Star 2025 to frame Horizon Steel Frontiers as a new MMORPG with a “fresh, distinctive color that embodies NC’s passion.” Speaking inside the firm’s 300-booth showcase at BEXCO, he told the audience that the studio’s happiness “comes from creating stories that players can laugh, argue, grow, and remember together,” adding that the team will “not only reinterpret the essence of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game from a new perspective, but also create games with [their] own unique style in genres such as shooting, action, and subculture.” Whether these fine words will actually change anything about NCSoft’s monetization and progression practices remains to be seen. That said, the footage we’ve seen so far, though limited, looks appealing.
Mobile-First, Player Experience Last?
The MMO is set in a region called the Deadlands, inspired by the landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico. This area is described as a shared open world populated by “thousands of players.” While the title will support large-scale cooperation, it will also include tribal competition. You will align with one of four tribes – Nora, Tenakth, Utaru, or Oseram – each offering distinct cultural aesthetics. NCsoft has emphasized the character customization, touting a high degree of creative freedom.
Despite these promising elements, the project’s mobile-first approach sparks concern. Because, yes, while a PC client is confirmed, the MMO is being built primarily for mobile, as acknowledged by Guerrilla’s Jan-Bart van Beek. This raises questions about interface, combat depth, and – again – monetization.
“Almost Finished,” But Info Remains Scarce
The title currently has no confirmed release date. NCsoft has stated that “the game is almost finished” but has refrained from announcing a launch window. A bare-bones official website is live, offering English and Korean language support, but little else. The company has promised more details in the coming months, including gameplay deep-dives and beta testing plans.
Exciting Potential, Tempered Expectations
Horizon Steel Frontiers stands out as a genuinely exciting project, built on a rich universe and, from what little we’ve seen, a fast-paced, impactful action combat style that looks dynamic. There’s no footage yet with a full interface, but the gameplay snippets shown so far are enticing enough to spark real curiosity.
Still, it’s hard not to approach the whole thing with caution. NCSoft’s track record, especially when it comes to monetization and progression systems, is a shadow that hangs over even their most promising ideas. Yes, the partnership with Guerrilla Games could help keep things in check, but there are simply too many unknowns right now. The lack of a PS5 version, the insistence on a mobile-first design, and the surprisingly small amount of concrete information – despite NCSoft claiming the game is “almost finished” – all raise legitimate concerns.So while the potential is undeniably there, it’s the kind of potential that could easily be squandered if the usual pitfalls come into play. Personally, I’ll be keeping a close eye on Horizon Steel Frontiers – especially given how thin the current MMO landscape feels – but with cautious expectations.