In the three-part Horizon Zero Dawn behind-the-scenes video series released today, developer Guerrilla Games talks about going from the first-person shooting Killzone franchise to a new open-world action-RPG, growing the studio to help build such a big game, and creating a PlayStation icon. During the videos you’ll also get to see some gameplay, cutscenes, and concept art.
“Horizon is clearly the single most ambitious project that Guerrilla Games has ever taken on. Our background tends to be that of the first-person shooter development, so the intense combat is in our DNA. So, logically, when we start making this open-world action-RPG game, it’s filled with what we’re good at, and that is intense combat,” Guerrilla Managing Director Hermen Hulst says at the beginning of the first video.
Here’s all three videos, complete with their descriptions:
Horizon Zero Dawn – BTS Video #1: From Corridors to Mountains
How does a studio transition from specializing in first-person shooter development to creating a brand-new open world action RPG? We went behind the scenes of Horizon Zero Dawn’s development and talked to Guerrilla Managing Director Hermen Hulst, Studio Art Director Jan-Bart van Beek, Game Director Mathijs de Jonge and Technical Director Michiel van der Leeuw about the challenges involved in making the switch.
Horizon Zero Dawn – BTS Video #2: Growing Guerrilla
We’ve previously explored the shift from first person shooters to an open world action RPG, and now we take a behind the scenes look at the studios of Horizon Zero Dawn’s developer, Guerrilla Games. We also speak to some of the newer members of the team who were brought on board during the game’s development to help expand Guerrilla’s understanding of the genre.
Horizon Zero Dawn – BTS #3: Creating a PlayStation Icon
Creating Aloy, the protagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn, was a difficult process; there were many iterations before Guerrilla settled on the adventurous woman you see today. In the third of our series, we speak to the Guerrilla team about bringing Aloy to life and how she has been received by gamers around the world.
Guerrilla’s Jeroen Roding added, “Ever since that first internal pitch in 2010, the star of Horizon Zero Dawn was Aloy. We never questioned this, but designing her still proved a long and difficult process. Her character went through many iterations before the team settled on the figure you see in-game.”
Horizon Zero Dawn launches on February 28 in North America and March 1 in Europe for PlayStation 4.
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
