Sony and Guerrilla Games have a gem on their hands.Horizon Zero Dawnwas such a hit that the development ofHorizon Forbidden Westis no surprise. Many ofHorizon Zero Dawn’s fans agree that Guerrilla Games came up with an excellent perspective on a sci-fi apocalypse, and they can’t wait to see what lies beyond the small slice of the ruined United StateswhereHorizon Zero Dawntakes place. However, a strong setting only works if there’s a strong protagonist to carry it, andHorizonhas that. The IP is inseparable from Aloy, the fearless huntress and engineer at its heart.
Horizon Forbidden Westwas made possible by Aloy. Guerrilla Games makes the most of her throughoutHorizon Zero Dawn,telling stories that are made possible by her determined, practical, and technically minded perspective on a world filled with humans who’ve lost their knowledge of technology. As successful as Aloy is though, it’s not justHorizon Forbidden Westthat’s spreading Aloy’s influence; she’s making new appearances across the game industry. The more visible she becomes, the clearer it is that Sony loves her, and the brighterHorizon’s future looks.
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Aloy’s Latest Appearances
Over the course of the last several months, Aloy has managed to crop up in a few remarkable places. For instance,there’s an Aloy skin available inFortniteas of this writing. Aloy’s appearance inFortniteisn’t just remarkable becauseFortniteis such a famous and influential game, it also matters who she’s paired with.Fortniteis filled with skins drawn from pop culture like John Wick, variousStar Warscharacters, and a long list of Marvel and DC superheroes. The fact that Aloy gets to stand next to such famous characters inFortniteproves thatHorizonis also a heavy hitter.
AnotherHorizon Zero Dawncrossover also just got announced.Genshin Impactisn’t overwhelmingly known for crossovers despite constantly introducing new playable characters. Even so, developer miHoYo recently revealed a collaboration with Sony andHorizon Zero Dawn,thanks to which Aloy became available as a playable character. Aloy is a five-star Cryo character and bow user, meaning she’s both rare and very impactful. Although usually that means Aloy would be pretty hard to get, she’ll temporarily beavailable for free inGenshin Impact’s Version 2.1update. That ought to vastly boost her presence and visibility.
FortniteandGenshin Impactare very different games, but they’ve both got huge audiences.Horizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden Westmay have Sony to bolster their popularity, but there’s certainly no harm in boosting her further via games like these. Epic Games' and miHoYo’s eagerness to join in on Aloy collaborations show that they’re aware of her star power too.The Aloy collaborations are a win for fans, giving them a new way to show their love of theHorizongames. IfHorizon Forbidden Westdidn’t already have enough hype around it, these collaborations ought to stack quite a bit more on top.
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Sony Appreciates Horizon Zero Dawn
As valuable as the work done by Epic Games and miHoYo is, Sony’s implied decision to enable these collaborations might be the most important sign forHorizon’s popularity. Sony wouldn’t license Aloy out to so many other big names if it didn’t feel good about theHorizonIP. Rather than being conservative withHorizon,Sony is using Aloy as one of its most important ambassadors. She appears constantly in PlayStation advertising on top of her appearances outside of her franchise, making her a faceas important as Kratosand Spider-Man.
Sony is clearly proud of the protagonist that Guerrilla Games came up with. Sometimes it’s hard to predict whether an IP as young asHorizonhas staying power, but Sony must feel good aboutHorizon Forbidden Westand every game that comes after it. Aloy’s appearances in advertising and other games aren’t just bolstering the potential audience for theHorizon Zero Dawnsequel, Sony is working hard toestablish Aloy as a mascotearly on so that she can represent the PlayStation for years to come.
That says a lot about what will come afterHorizon Forbidden West.There’s almost certainly a third game with Aloy at the helm coming afterForbidden West,meaning a huge, sprawling franchise could come of this young universe. Even ifHorizoneventually moves on to other protagonists,the franchise will owe everything to Aloyfor being such a likeable and versatile character. While it certainly remains to be seen whether Aloy endures over many years, Sony’s commitment to her is a good sign early on. Guerrilla Games and theHorizonIP have a stalwart ally in their publisher.
Horizon Forbidden West is the Next Step
As good as Aloy’s promotion is for the franchise, a clean execution onHorizon Forbidden Westis the most important thingfor Aloy’s future. On the whole,Horizon Forbidden Westlooks excellent, with enhanced graphics, teased new mechanics, and a plot as enticing as the first game. Unfortunately,Horizon Forbidden West’s release date remains a mystery, which might make some fans concerned about the game’s state of development. Ideally,Forbidden Weststill releases this year in order to capitalize on Aloy’s latest ventures as best as possible.
The uncertainty aroundHorizon Forbidden Westshould be a short-term issue, though. Fans remain optimistic that it’s just a matter of a release date getting announced, and then the franchise will be back on track. Again, Sony wouldn’t be pushing Aloy’s presence so much if it didn’t thinkHorizon Forbidden Westwas going to perform. Although theHorizonseries has only been around for a couple years, one can already imagine there’s a lot of big things on the way. Aloy has really put in the work, acting as a lens for exploringthe new world that Guerrilla Games created, so her continuing appearances across the game industry are only a taste of the many adventures ahead.
Horizon Forbidden Westis set to release in late 2021 for PS4 and PS5.
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