New Horizon: Steel Frontiers MMORPG wasn't developed or published by Sony PlayStation

Sony didn't develop or publish the new MMORPG based on the Horizon franchise, Horizon: Steel Frontiers.

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Today, South Korean developer NC Soft revealed Horizon: Steel Frontiers, a new free-to-play MMORPG set in PlayStation's best-selling Horizon game series. The game has proven to be significantly controversial because Steel Frontiers is skipping PS5, instead releasing on mobile and PC.

It further turns out that Sony didn't actually make the game. Sony did license the Horizon series to NC Soft, and Guerrilla Games did coordinate with the South Korean developer, but PlayStation did not actually make the project--nor did they publish it. And, of course, Sony signed the partnership deal, so they knew Steel Frontiers wasn't coming to PS5 at launch.

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"This project is developed and published by NC Soft Corporation. The game, and its characters, items, and events are developed and published under licensed from Sony Interactive Entertainment, and supported by Guerrilla and PlayStation Studios."

So why not launch on PS5?

NC Soft is a South Korean developer whose games largely serve this very specific core market. Gamers in this region primarily play on mobile and PC--consoles aren't incredibly popular in South Korea--and other developers like NetEase have also chosen not to bring their billion-dollar mobile games like Diablo Immortal to consoles. This is despite Microsoft owning Activision, and Microsoft having a first-party Xbox console ecosystem to serve.

We've also seen companies bifurcate their regional audiences with separate experiences tailored for specific locales; Diablo 2, for example, released in China months ago, and it has its own separate server.

Horizon: Steel Frontiers is also playable in NC Soft's first-party PC games launcher, Purple.

The move also helps mature Sony's growing mobile gaming ambitions. The company makes millions every quarter from mobile via hits like Fate/Grand Order. This is just the beginning. Sony is investing in releasing more mobile games, aiming to have a powerhouse of titles that reach across all platforms. The key distinction is that not all of these games will be made in-house by first-party teams, hence the NC Soft partnership.

It's also possible that Horizon: Steel Frontiers will come to PlayStation 5 sometime after launch, and that releasing first on mobile and PC is a test run until everything is ready.

• Genre - The first MMORPG in the Horizon universe. A fierce survival adventure in a world where threats lurk at every turn.
• World - Deadlands, a frontier for machine hunters. Embark on a new journey across an awe-inspiring landscape and a vast open world.
• Combat - Inspired by Horizon's familiar hunting action. Experience large-scale raids with an advanced combat system.
• Platforms - Mobile and PC via PURPLE. Free play within one seamless world.
• Customization - Forge your own machine hunter in a post-apocalyptic world. Create your identity with deep customization and boundless freedom.