The highly anticipated PlayStation sequel Horizon: Forbidden West is officially set to release on 2/18/2022 for both PS4 and PS5. A brief announcement trailer presented by Game Director Mathijs de Jonge recapping the next instalment’s features that were presented in the State of Play event in May 2021. The new features include free climbing, swimming, and additions to melee combat. New gameplay was not shown, but two announcements were made: preorders for Horizon: Forbidden West begin on 9/2/2021, and an update for Horizon: Zero Dawn is now live which includes 60 FPS on PS5.

Impacted by COVID-19, this game’s release date joins many other big budget titles that have been impacted by the pandemic. Developer Guerrilla Games is taking the time to make sure the game is fully polished while maintaining respectable working conditions for its team. The news is disappointing, but not unexpected, as rumors began in late July that the game would slip into 2022.

What are your thoughts on the delay for Horizon: Forbidden West? Are you happy to hear a game developer pushing the release date back in order to meet the demands of the customers expectations and maintain favorable working conditions for their employees? What does this mean for the PS5 and their scarce first party holiday 2021 release schedule? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to join our Discord to further the conversation.

Sources: PlayStation Blog and IGN YouTube