Horizon Forbidden West has been positioned as Sony's big holiday 2021 exclusive game for PlayStation, with it originally set to launch for both PS4 and PS5. However, it seems PlayStation fans are going to have to wait a bit longer to get their hands on the game. While it hasn't been officially confirmed by Sony at the time of this writing, a reliable source has said that the Horizon Forbidden West release date has been delayed from 2021 to sometime in 2022.
This is according to reputable industry insider Jason Schreier, citing a source close to the matter. It's unclear exactly when in 2022 Horizon Forbidden West's new release date will be, and it's also unclear when Sony will make the announcement itself. Regardless, this news will no doubt be disappointing to those looking forward to playing Horizon Forbidden West this year, but many likely saw the writing on the wall. After all, it's nearly August and Sony had yet to announce a release date for the game.
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Months ago, leakers claimed that Horizon Forbidden West's release date would be delayed, and now that prediction has come true. Even with the recent Horizon Forbidden West-focused State of Play event, many still assumed that a delay for the game was just a matter of time, so most may not be surprised by the delay at all.
The Horizon Forbidden West release date delay is going to leave a big void for PlayStation this holiday season. There's now not a whole lot in terms of PlayStation exclusives go, besides Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut and Death Stranding: Director's Cut. Pure PS5 exclusives are even harder to come by, with the aforementioned Death Stranding: Director's Cut being one of the only PS5 exclusives confirmed for release in the second half of 2021.
Oddly enough, one of the only PS5 console exclusives coming in the second half of this year is a game that's being developed by an Xbox-owned company. Timed PS5 console exclusive Deathloop is set to launch in September, developed by Arkane Studios. Arkane's track record speaks for itself, so Deathloop should be a good game, but it being a timed exclusive means it may not have quite the same impact for PlayStation as Horizon Forbidden West.
It's possible that Sony has some surprises up its sleeve for later this year, though that remains to be seen. Rumors point to a new PlayStation State of Play event happening within the next couple of months, and if those rumors pan out, perhaps that's when Sony will finalize its lineup for the second half of 2021. In the meantime, fans should stay tuned for more information on why exactly Horizon Forbidden West has been delayed to 2022.
Horizon Forbidden West will launch in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.
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