One of PlayStation’s biggest franchises is probably dead, and that’s okay

Playstation gave rise to a series of iconic and wonderful franchises throughout its life, from the fun Monkey Escape for the brave Kill zone and even braver God of Warjust to name a few. However, as many new ones emerged and became commercial and critical successes, older franchises were pushed aside or forgotten over time. This, naturally, has left fans of these series genuinely upset, hoping that one day Sony will bring them back.

Unfortunately, lately PlayStation seems to have a habit of remastering the wrong games instead of dedicating time and resources to resurrecting some of its classic IPs. Although in some cases this is a real shame – Jake and Daxter deserves a return – There are some PlayStation franchises that perhaps deserve to remain inactive. After all, even games that were once considered great can quickly fall out of favor.

It looks like Killzone is probably dead for good

Guerrilla Games has been done with Killzone for some time now

It seems that Kill zone franchise has been dead for some timewith Guerrilla last releasing a game in the series in November 2013. Now that it’s been over a decade since the last title, it seems safe to assume that Sony has no further plans for it, and it seems that even if it were , Guerrilla Games probably wouldn’t be the driving force behind it. The developer already finished the series a long time ago, stating that it ended with Kill zone.

When discussing changing the dark, dystopian world of Kill zone to the warmer, more hopeful world of Horizon, Guerrilla Games art director Roy Postma said The Washington Post who felt he needed to move on Kill zone as a whole. He explained that they wanted “update the palette“, opting for a more colorful and vibrant universe rather than the hopeless one they created before. Postma explained that they wanted to create a story and world that felt more relatable to a wider audience, stating:

“We’re done with this [Killzone] as a team. As a studio, we needed to update the palette. It was, by choice, the opposite of Killzone. I think the themes this story and characters represent are relatable to all ages and people, like having a family of friends and finding your place in the world.”

This change was evident in Kill zone itself, with each entry in the series becoming increasingly tame and colorful, with Shadowfall feeling as if I had abandoned the original tone for the Kill zone franchise entirely. It’s not uncommon for a developer to want to change direction – just look at Naughty Dog moving away from the light-hearted environment Jake and Daxter for the most depressing series in the world, The last of us – but Buried guerrilla Kill zone in the process of moving away from him.

Considering that Killzone: Shadowfall poorly reviewed upon release and quickly forgotten, it’s not hard to see why Guerrilla and Sony wanted to move on. Guerrilla is doing its own thing now with the Horizon franchise – what is doing better for it critically and financially what Kill zone already has – and seems more than happy to continue doing so. Frankly, even though some of the new Horizon games fail, Guerrilla is even more likely to keep pushing this than ever before Kill zone.

It’s okay that Killzone is over if it means games like Horizon get made

Killzone was always good, but never great

Of course, for many, the death of Kill zone could be bad news since, after all, it had enough fans and support to get four main games and several spin-offs. However, it is difficult to say that it is a great loss, since, Although considered one of PlayStation’s most recognized franchises, its games have never been particularly good. They performed well critically for the time, often boasting incredible graphics that still hold up today and online modes that were exceptionally popular, but they rarely pushed the needle when it came to innovation and were hampered by poor writing and lackluster stories.

His death also led to the birth of Horizon serieswhich has so far produced two incredible games considered masterpieces and, admittedly a little bizarre, a LEGO spin-off. Horizon offered a whole new and exciting world that the gaming industry had never seen before and helped diversify open world games – along with the unfortunately released Breath of Nature – at a time when it seemed obsolete. It was also a good financial performance for Guerrilla Games, making them one of the biggest and best developers on the market.

If Kill zone had to die to Horizon live, then this seems like a valid trade-off. Kill zone it also no longer fits into Sony’s strengths, as its lackluster stories feel subpar compared to the cinematic storytelling that has dominated much of PlayStation’s output since 2013. While not exclusively responsible, Playstation abandoning Kill zone along with its many other franchises led to the reboot God of Warcreating Ghost of Tsushimaworking with Marvel on Spider-Manand releasing so many other memorable exclusives, and that’s definitely a good thing.

Source: YouTube/PlayStation, The Washington Post, Game developer, X/Hulst