According to The Verge, Sony is secretly building a Horizon MMO called Horizon Steel Frontiers in partnership with Korean game company NCSoft. The leak came from a promotional video over 10 minutes long that was accidentally posted early, likely ahead of an announcement at tonight’s G-Star 2025 event in Korea. The footage shows cinematic scenes, pre-alpha gameplay, and developer interviews revealing the game will focus on cooperative giant machine hunting. Instead of playing as series protagonist Aloy, players will create custom characters and share the “Deathlands” region inspired by Arizona and New Mexico with thousands of other players. The game is specifically built for mobile and will be available on PC, iOS, and Android, though there’s no release date yet beyond the team working to make it available “as soon as possible.”
The mobile-first MMO strategy
Here’s what’s really interesting about this leak. NCSoft is building this specifically as a mobile-first MMORPG, which is a major departure from Horizon’s console roots. Jan-Bart van Beek from Guerrilla Games explicitly says in the video that it’s “built specifically for mobile.” That tells you everything about Sony’s strategy here – they’re chasing the massive mobile gaming market that’s absolutely dominated by Asian developers.
But can the Horizon experience actually work on mobile? Hunting giant mechanical beasts with complex weapon systems and tactical combat doesn’t exactly scream “touchscreen friendly.” NCSoft has experience with mobile MMOs, but this feels like a much more ambitious technical challenge than their usual fare.
That cooperation and competition mix
The developers keep emphasizing this blend of working together to take down machines while also competing with rival tribes and fighting over resources. That’s classic MMO design, but it’s particularly well-suited to the Horizon universe. Think about it – the whole premise is about tribal societies surviving in a dangerous world.
What I’m curious about is how they’ll handle the PvP elements. Will it be full-loot territory control like some hardcore MMOs, or more casual faction-based conflict? The mention of “fighting over resources” suggests there might be some real stakes here, which could make for some intense gameplay moments.
The technical hurdles ahead
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – massive machine battles on mobile devices. The executive producer mentions new mechanics like picking up weapons from downed beasts and carrying them on mounts. That sounds awesome, but also incredibly demanding for mobile hardware. We’re talking about rendering giant mechanical creatures, multiple players, complex animations, and persistent world states all on smartphones.
And cross-platform between PC, iOS, and Android? That’s a technical nightmare waiting to happen. Balance alone could be a nightmare – mouse and keyboard players versus touchscreen users in the same competitive environment. NCSoft has experience here, but this is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in cross-platform mobile gaming.
Where this fits in the MMO landscape
This is clearly Sony’s answer to the growing mobile MMO market dominated by games like Genshin Impact and Tower of Fantasy. By leveraging a known IP and partnering with NCSoft, they’re trying to capture that audience without starting from scratch. The timing is interesting too – with events like G-Star becoming major announcement platforms, the Korean gaming market is clearly a priority.
But here’s my big question: will Horizon fans actually embrace a mobile MMO? The core audience loves deep, single-player narratives, not grindy MMO mechanics. And will mobile gamers care about Horizon’s particular brand of post-apocalyptic robot dinosaur hunting? This feels like Sony trying to bridge two very different audiences, and that’s always a risky move.
