Horizon Zero Dawn Rumored to be Getting a PS5 Remake
Straight from the fresh controversy of The Last of Us Part 1’s remake last month, several insider sources have claimed that another flagship Sony franchise is set to receive the remake treatment. Horizon: Zero Dawn was initially released in 2017 and quickly became a mainstay for PlayStation after its immediate critical and financial success. This led to a sequel, Horizon: Forbidden West, which was released earlier this year. This was similarly praised- with many heralding it as the best technical showcase for the PS5 so far. The franchise was already shaping up to be the next big PlayStation IP even before the announcement of a TV series currently in development.
This leads to today’s news- the rumored remake/remaster of the original entry coming to the PS5. This would put this remaster as coming out around the same time as the Television series of the same name. This would make a lot of sense- especially since a big part of The Last of Us Part 1’s release was down to the big-budget TV show that HBO is betting a lot of money on. To drive up viewers of the show (and play numbers of the game- as seen through Cyberpunk’s Edgerunners series), releasing the game in a more accessible form would be a smart move. However, there is a key question that has to be addressed: in what way will this be re-released?
Since this information is still in its early form, there are not yet any details on how Horizon: Zero Dawn will make its way onto Playstation’s newest system. Being only five years old and still looking great, it would be quite the shock to announce a £60 release a full ‘remake’ of the game. For reference, a remake should change the fundamental way a game is played- whether it’s changing a few aspects (like the Last of Us Part 1 claims to do), or basically everything- such as with the Final Fantasy VII Remake. On the other hand, a remaster is just a touch-up of the game’s graphics engine with maybe another few tweaks to make gameplay a bit smoother, but other than that, the game is the same. While a full remake would be unlikely for such a young game, it is just as unlikely for this to be a simple PS5 upgrade that most games have done for free. That’s why I believe this probably falls in the middle, putting it in remaster territory.
By improving the way the already beautiful game looks and bringing it to the new platform, Horizon: Zero Dawn could draw in a lot of new fans. However, it is important to note that this game is already playable on the PS5 via the PS4 version, so how well this could sell is up for debate. This may also be a continuation of the Last of Us Part 1 trend, where we see some quite unnecessary remakes come to PS5. This has left a lot frustrated- especially when there are so many older franchises such as Jak and Daxter and the early PS2 Ratchet and Clank titles that are getting seemingly ignored for safer bets. Whether this illustrates Sony’s new strategies remains yet to be seen, but I’m remaining skeptical of the necessity of any more PS4 remasters for now.
