Horizon Forbidden West was released on both PS4 and PS5. And, as you might expect, Sony’s oldest console pulled the game down.
Contrary to its initial ambitions, Sony opted for a smoother transition between the PS4 and the PS5. Originally, the multinational wanted to offer a maximum of exclusivities to its new console, before being caught up in reality. In 2020, many people were still playing PS4, while the shortage of components prevented PS5 stocks from being substantial. That’s why games like Horizon Forbidden West were released on both PS4 and PS5, while this title developed by Guerilla Games could have been a great technological showcase for the PlayStation 5.
Did the PlayStation 4 pull Horizon Forbidden West down ? Judging by the graphic beauty of the PS5 version, one might be tempted to say no. But, recent comments from Guerilla Games imply that the developers had to restrain themselves to ensure acceptable performance on PS4 – including in terms of gameplay. And imagine that the aerial phases, more advanced than in Horizon Zero Dawnand submarines, almost fell by the wayside.
Of Course The PS4 Pulled Horizon Forbidden West Down
It was during a long interview with Games Industry published on July 12, 2023 that Guerrilla Games spoke about the difficulties of developing a game on both PS4 and PS5 with high ambitions. The technical limitations of the console launched in 2013 have forced developers to make sacrifices, or find tricks. The case of the aerial and underwater portions is telling. As studio director Jan-Bart van Beek explains: They represented a huge technical challenge. Until the last moment, we thought that the PS4 could not cash. So we thought, ‘Do we have to take everything out of the game? It would be a hell of a mess, but we managed to make it all work. We sacrificed some coders to the Gods. »
Through these words, we understand that the PS4 version of Horizon Forbidden West was quite a headache for Guerrilla Games. And, if the company remains proud of the result, we dare not imagine all the ideas that had to be abandoned so that everything could fit properly. It should also be noted that the Burning Shores extension was not offered to owners of a PlayStation 4. On the PlayStation Blog, a justification had been shared: “ Our vision was particularly ambitious, both technically and creatively. So we had to make the difficult decision to focus our efforts on crafting an unforgettable experience exclusively for the PlayStation 5 console. In short, Guerrilla Games wanted to go further.
For its part, Insomniac Games asked itself a lot fewer questions with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which was not released on PS4. The studio needed SSD technology to meet its creative needs (including instant switching between sets). The PC version of the game proved that using a simple, slower hard drive can be a problem. Again, the PlayStation 4 would have leveled the game to the bottom. In short, it was time to draw a line under the older generation, which is more relevant than ever in 2023.
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