New Horizon MMORPG Coming to PC And Mobile
- NCSOFT unveils Horizon Steel Frontiers, a new MMORPG in the Horizon universe, at G-Star 2025.
- Features large-scale machine battles with MMO-style mechanics like specific enemy part destruction and climbing.
- Releasing on mobile and PC via Purple, with full customization and PvPvE gameplay.
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G-Star 2025
The Global Game Exhibition is in full swing in Busan,South Korea, from Nov. 13 – 14, and a host of top game studios and publishers are in attendance. One notable name is NCSOFT (Blade and Soul, Throne and Liberty, Guild Wars 2), which has revealed Horizon Steel Frontiers, a brand new MMORPG set in the same universe as previous Horizon games.
Players get to take on the role of a hunter in the Deadlands, a verdant landscape not seen in other Horizon games. However, the main enemies are the same type of machine animals as seen in previous games, that range from towering mecha-bears to armored triceratops.
Jan-Bart van Beek, the Studio Director at Guerilla and creator of the Horizon series, appeared in a dev video announcing Horizon Steel Frontiers: “At the heart of Horizon’s story is the search for the balance between humanity, nature and technology. And sometimes that’s harmony, sometimes that’s conflict, but it always creates a world filled with mystery and beauty.”
“What really stands out is Horizon Steel Frontiers’ distinct tone and atmosphere,” he added. “But it fits perfectly with the Horizon universe and that balance between the essence of Horizon Steel Frontiers and something fresh, that really excites me about this project.”
Giant Robot Action
Horizon Zero Dawn came out in 2017 and was originally exclusive to PS4. It concerns Aloy, a female hunter who travels across 31st Century USA on a mission to stop a rogue AI from wiping out the remains of humanity. It won a Writers Guild Award For Best Video Game Writing in 2018 and was followed by a well-received sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. Released in 2022, this was one of the most expensive games ever made at $212 million.
A major part of any Horizon game is the chance to fight massive machine creatures, and this is the selling point that Sung-Gu Lee, the Executive Producer of Horizon Steel Frontiers, wants to emphasise about the new game.
“Hunting massive machines was one of the greatest appeals of the original Horizon series, and now we’re expanding that experience into the world of MMORPGs. Our main focus is designing a new combat experience tailored for an MMORPG,” he said. “For example, after destroying a specific part of a machine, you can quickly approach and climb onto it using a Pullcaster, set traps on the damaged part, and inflect status effects.”
Mobile MMO
Although the previous games were PlayStation exclusives (before being ported to PC), Horizon Steel Frontiers is due for release on mobile and PC, with the latter through Purple. This is NCSOFT’s cross-play game platform that unifies PC and mobile gaming, and not just the company’s own IP.
NCSOFT has still to reveal more game details, such as system specs and which mobile devices it’s coming to, but it has shown that the game allows detailed character customization and creation, with players picking from the four main clans debuted in the original game. The company is also heavily promoting the PvPvE aspect of Horizon Steel Frontiers, noting that while players can compete against each other for rewards, perhaps the greater reward is working together to successfully bring down a towering mechanical monster.
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