Even with as little as we have seen of the game, Horizon: Zero Dawn, the robot-dinosaur killing, PS4 exclusive RPG from Guerrilla Games, the studio behind the Killzone franchise, is already a highly anticipated title. Speaking in an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine (via GamesRadar) Guerrilla managing director and co-founder Herman Hulst opened up about the process the studio underwent to go from developing a first-person-shooter to an third-person-RPG, and let on about how deep of RPG elements players can expect.
First off, as far as just what kind of an RPG, Horizon: Zero Dawn is, Hulst explained he views RPG’s on a rather wide spectrum. On one side are the much more action-oriented games like Assassin’s Creed, and then on the other, the deeper RPG’s, like Elder Scrolls. “I think we’re in-between,” Hulst said. “We have elements in both directions, and that probably puts us somewhere in between.” As for anything more than that however, “Once we have something to show we’ll talk about it in more detail.”
Turning to the development of the game in general, Hulst talked about the fact that from the very beginning, when looking for a new IP to work on, one of the main goals was to find something that “makes sense for Guerrilla to do.” From that, rose roughly 40 concepts, and from those, Horizon: Zero Dawn quickly became a standout.
“This concept really originated from within the studio, so it starts here – the creative process is led by the studio,” Hulst stated. “We’ve always attempted to make really interesting universes, and we’ve always wanted to make beautiful games. And with Killzone, that was in the destroyed beauty – that gritty kind of beauty. This time, we just wanted to make a game that was beautiful. And that’s it, just beautiful, period.”
When it came down to actually making the transition, Hulst explained, “In many ways, however different Horizon: Zero Dawn is from the Killzone series, there are also a lot of similarities. We are still after fantastic graphics and we are after technical combat.” That said however, “There are certain elements that are new to this studio. An open-world, for instance, required a huge effort from our technology team to get the systems ready.”
Comparatively, “It has been a much bigger challenge to the team and to the studio than getting a PlayStation 4 engine ready [for Killzone: Shadowfall] at launch of PlayStation 4.”
Since E3 Guerrilla has made no secret about just how excited they are for the new title, talking about the open world of the game and the social multiplayer, talking about the many inspirations that went into the game’s female protagonist, and even breaking down the footage shown at E3.
What do you think of a robot-dinosaur hunting game fitting somewhere between The Elder Scrolls and Assassin’s Creed? Let us know in the comments. And for more on Horizon: Zero Dawn, keep checking back right here on Gamespresso.