PlayStation Reportedly Reviving Killzone: Remaster or Remake?

Sony is reportedly in the early stages of resurrecting its first-person shooter series, Killzone. Guerrilla Games' ambitious Halo competitor was shelved after the studio found massive success with Horizon Zero Dawn in 2017, focusing on the Horizon franchise ever since. However, Killzone still has a dedicated fanbase that frequently calls for its return.

According to MP1st, Sony might be answering those calls, with Bulletstorm and Outriders developer People Can Fly potentially co-developing the project. But what exactly is this new Killzone? It appears to be a remaster or remake, though it's unclear which title is getting the upgrade. The original Killzone, released on PS2 in 2004, seems like a likely candidate.

Guerrilla is currently juggling multiple projects. PlayStation recently rebooted the Horizon multiplayer spin-off, Hunters Gathering, after negative feedback, and MP1st suggests the studio will shift focus to Killzone once that's sorted. Bloomberg reports that Guerrilla has until December to impress PlayStation executives with Hunters Gathering's next milestone, but some staff have already moved to another project with a deadline at year's end. A "tiny team" is reportedly working on the next Horizon single-player game—likely Horizon 3, though it'll probably have a new subtitle—but that's still years away.

A Killzone remaster or remake could serve as a stepping stone for a full series reboot later. Either way, it's thrilling news for fans who haven't heard anything about the franchise since Killzone Shadow Fall on PS4 (aside from a T-shirt in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered and a Helldivers 2 crossover).

In 2024, Guerrilla art director Roy Postma explained the studio's shift from Killzone's dark, violent world to Horizon's brighter, more vibrant setting. "We were done with it as a team," Postma said. "As a studio, we needed to refresh the palette. It was, by choice, the opposite of Killzone." He added that Horizon's themes have broader appeal: "I think the themes that this story and the characters represent are relatable for all ages and people, like having a found family of friends and finding your place in the world."