Horizon Zero Dawn Being Pulled From PS Plus Might Be Good News In Disguise

Although the impending departure of from PlayStation Plus is unwelcome news for subscribers, there might be a silver lining for more general fans of the series. Originally released for the PS4 in 2017, very quickly became one of the most popular games on the console, enough that it later received a sequel,, and was ported to PC in 2020. Later on, the game would become part of Sony's ongoing subscription service, PS Plus, allowing more PlayStation owners to play it at a reduced cost.

As has recently been announced, however, will be leaving the PS Plus catalog on May 25, 2024, and will no longer be available to subscribers after that date. While subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus tend to have rotating libraries, with games coming and going on a monthly basis, 's situation is uncommon, as the game is a first-party PlayStation exclusive published by Sony itself, and presumably not subject to stipulations from outside parties. So, while departing PS Plus's catalog is disappointing, it may also indicate future plans for the series.

Withset to leave PS Plus's library on May 25, and a PlayStation-associated showcase rumored to be taking place within the same month, a previously rumored remaster of may be getting an official announcement around the time of the original's departure. Presumably, this remaster would update the game's visuals to take advantage of the PS5's more powerful hardware, with some potential for minor gameplay additions or extra features to go along with the enhanced visuals.

It wouldn't be the first time that a Sony-published game received a remaster relatively soon after it was released — series has notoriously received multiple remasters. brought the PS3 game to the PS4 only a year later, but was a more significant remake for the PS5 in 2022. similarly made relatively slight improvements to the original's visuals less than four years after its initial release.

In both cases, the remasters garnered criticism, not necessarily for