A few fans have been wondering over the weekend what’s happening with Sony’s Killzone franchise. That’s because any attempts to log in to the official Killzone page have ended up being rerouted back to PlayStation.com.
Just hours ago, Guerrilla Games acknowledged that the move was taking place, and that the Killzone website would no longer be operational. It didn’t state an exact reason, though it appears that the company is moving on full-time to working on the Horizon: Zero Dawn sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, and any work surrounding it when it releases this year for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
The company noted the following when it came to the site’s closure:
“Dear Killzone.com visitor,
The official website for the Killzone franchise has retired. Going forward, visitors to Killzone.com will be directed to PlayStation.com. While this change doesn’t affect the online multiplayer modes, player statistics or ranking data for Killzone Mercenary and Killzone Shadow Fall, it is now no longer possible to create or manage clans in Killzone Shadow Fall. We apologize for this inconvenience. Thank you to Killzone.com’s many fans and visitors throughout the years for their enthusiasm and support.
Sincerely,
Guerrilla”
From the looks of things, it appears that the company is moving on from its signature first- person shooter series, which has entertained fans for years. The last known game in the series was Killzone: Shadow Fall, which released alongside the PS4 when it launched a few years ago.
The series began in 2004 on the PlayStation 2, and while it didn’t quite live up to its hyped status as a “Halo killer,” it still entertained fans on the platform.
It was followed in 2009 by Killzone 2 on the PlayStation 3, which received a much-hyped cinematic trailer that…kind of over-escalated what fans originally expected. Still, it was a worthy sequel, and sold well enough for all concerned.
In 2011, the impressive Killzone 3 followed, becoming one of the most powerful – and entertaining – first-person shooters for the PS3 platform. It was a rousing success, leading to much anticipation for Killzone’s debut on the PS4.
Before that, Guerrilla also focused on a couple of portable games. Killzone: Liberation came out in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable. But instead of a first-person shooter, it was more like a top-down isometric game. Still, it was well received, and jam packed with action.
For Killzone: Mercenary, which came out on Playstation Vita in 2013, the team returned to its first-person shooting roots. And the move paid off grandly, making the game one of the handheld’s most popular releases.
The series’ final release (well, for now) came in 2013 with Killzone: Shadow Fall on PlayStation 4. Though technically sound and impressive with new gameplay aspects, it didn’t quite live up to the glory of Killzone 3. Still, it had a decent fan base.
Will Killzone ever return? Perhaps. But, for now, we’ll just have to enjoy the older games that came out while Guerrilla works on something else. Gone, but certainly not forgotten. We’ll see you down the road, Helghast.
