While Killzone was once considered a major franchise for Sony back in the PS3 days, the series has largely fallen off the map following the release of Killzone: Shadow Fall on the PS4. In a conversation with VideoGamer, Killzone and Horizon composer Joris de Man spoke about how, while he would love for the franchise to return in some way, there may not be room for it in the current gaming landscape.
de Man spoke about how much the Killzone franchise has meant to its fans, and how many have wanted the series to return at least in the form of a remaster, if not an outright remake or new game.
“I know that there have been petitions for it,” said de Man. “I think it’s risky because, I can’t speak for Guerrilla or anything… I don’t know if it will ever happen. I hope it will because I think it is quite an iconic franchise, but also I think it kind of has to take into account kind of the sensitivities and the shift in, I guess, what people want because it is quite bleak in some ways.”
He does go on to say that he believes a remastered release of the original Killzone trilogy would see a fair bit of success, especially thanks to the franchise’s fans. A new title, however, isn’t something de Man believes would see much success.
“I think it remastered one would be successful I don’t know if a new game would be as much,” de Man said. “I don’t know if people have moved on from it and want something. I don’t know sometimes I get the sense that people want something a bit more casual a bit more quick.”
While fans of Killzone have been looking for some sign of life from the franchise, developer Guerrilla Games revealed back in October 2024 that the whole reason it created the Horizon franchise with the release of Horizon Zero Dawn was because it was done with Killzone.
“We were done with it as a team,” said art director Roy Postma in an interview. “As a studio, we needed to refresh the palette. It was, by choice, the opposite of Killzone. I think the themes that this story and the characters represent are relatable for all ages and people, like having a found family of friends and finding your place in the world.”
This was a sentiment echoed a few years after the official website for Killzone was shut down. The studio, along with Sony, referred to it being “retired”. This, however, did not affect the multiplayer components of Killzone: Shadow Fall.
The last time we got to see anything related to Killzone franchise was thanks to a crossover event in Helldivers 2. As part of the event, Helldivers 2 players could get their hands on cosmetics and weapons inspired by classic shooter Killzone 2.
While the original Killzone was poorly-received, it did kickstart a franchise that would be one of the core franchises for Sony during the PS3 years. Killzone: Shadow Fall, one of the first titles released for the PS4, has seemingly spelled death for the franchise, however.