Horizon franchise shocks industry with $40 million in sales amidst lawsuits

Because of a lawsuit that has shown how hugely successful the Horizon series has been, the franchise is once again in the news. This isn't because of a new trailer or a shocking statement. According to the sources, documents from the ongoing legal battle between Sony and the creators of Light of Motor—an allegedly Horizon-inspired title from Tencent—reveal that Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and the updated editions of Zero Dawn have collectively sold an impressive 40 million units worldwide.

What began as a fight over stolen art and game design has turned into proof that the series is one of Sony's most consistently successful new ones. The lawsuit primarily concerns claims that Light of Motor stole too many ideas for its mechanical creatures and world-building from Horizon.

Tencent has said that Sony wants to own all the ideas for open-world games, but the sales numbers from the case show that this is not true. Horizon has become a key PlayStation IP thanks to the 40 million copies sold across just two main stories. The numbers also explain why Sony is actively defending the franchise—few series can boast that level of performance in such a short span of time. Sony has every reason to protect what is quickly becoming one of its most profitable brands, even if it doesn't know the exact split between Zero Dawn and Forbidden West.

This revelation has reignited excitement surrounding the future of the Horizon universe, especially its long-rumored multiplayer project. According to the sources, a lot of people thought wrongly that the recently announced mobile game was the multiplayer game Guerrilla Games had been working on, but information from inside the company shows that this is not the case.

The true multiplayer Horizon game is still in production for consoles and is allegedly inspired by the cooperative flow of Monster Hunter.

The idea of teams fighting huge robots with slower, heavier weapons and smart team roles has already caused a lot of talk in the community. Horizon's mechanical creatures naturally lend themselves to a hunt-and-strategize formula, making a multiplayer spinoff feel like a logical growth rather than a gamble.

One complaint about the franchise's single-player games is that they focus too much on story and have a fixed main character. The upcoming project will fix this problem. A multiplayer Horizon with characters that can be changed, shared hunts, and progression based on gameplay could shift the focus to more complex combat and creative teamwork.

For many fans, the idea of getting together with other fans to go hunting, making custom loadouts, and fighting huge machine dinosaurs in big arenas sounds like the kind of new energy that could take the IP to a whole new level of fame. Guerrilla has worked on Killzone's multiplayer modes in the past, including Shadow Fall's well-reviewed competitive mode. The studio's move toward online cooperative action feels like both a return to its roots and a step into new ground.

The Horizon series' growth also comes at a time when Sony is reshaping its first-party approach. As more studios work on both single-player and live-service games, franchises that can do well in more than one format are becoming valuable assets. Horizon already includes console, PC, VR, mobile, and possibly multiplayer experiences.

This creates a multiform environment that is similar to how global entertainment giants offer a wide range of games. Horizon is becoming a cross-media force, with comics, board games, and a planned TV show based on the world. And with 40 million copies already sold, the pace is unlikely to slow anytime soon.

The most interesting thing about this is how quickly people's views on Horizon have changed. A lot of people around the world love this series, even though some people used to think it was just another open-world game. Players of all ages and platforms still enjoy its mix of post-apocalyptic landscapes, tribal futuristic settings, and machine-based monsters. That this information came from a lawsuit was a surprise, but the results show that Horizon is not an underdog. The Sony hit is one of their best.

With a big multiplayer project still in the works, a case getting more attention, and sales going up faster than anyone thought they would, there is one question that hangs over the whole franchise: how much bigger can this world really get when Horizon's next evolution finally comes out?