Guerilla Games has announced that Horizon Forbidden West will debut on February 18 2022, a few months after its planned 2021 release date.
Guerilla Games game director Mathijs de Jonge made the announcement during Gamescom’s opening night ceremony for the all-digital event. De Jonge explained that the team has spent the last few months adapting to conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and was able to retain “the level of polish” that was desired for the game’s launch.
De Jonge also said the move was made while trying to ensure the team had “proper work-life balance.”
Speculation about Horizon Forbidden West’s release date has followed the last few announcements about the game, not just out of interest in the game but also for curiosity on how COVID-19 was impacting the production schedules of certain triple-A games.
The game is still slated to release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, meaning the development team had to target two platforms with vastly different specs while working under remote conditions.
The fact that the game will only be delayed a couple of months into 2022 is a testament to what the team has accomplished under these unprecedented conditions.