Did Horizon Zero Dawn Really Need A Remaster At This Point?

Horizon Zero Dawn first made landfall in 2017, releasing vigorously for the PlayStation 4 and setting a standard for what’s possible and what’s not in the huge action-adventure space.

The game was solid while it lasted in its time, and though the Complete Edition of the first Horizon Zero Dawn — comprising all DLC content, including the Frozen Wilds expansion — is still offering players a good time, Sony thought it fit to remaster the RPG so it appeals to a wider audience now. 

Smart decision if you’re out to make a quick buck, but no one really wanted this particular remaster, especially since Horizon Zero Dawn is the type of title that still looks great despite coming out about 7 years ago.  

So now that Zero Dawn’s remaster was something that no one genuinely looked forward to, it’s a no-brainer that the game would be met with a subsequent reception. Let’s take a quick look at this ahead. 

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Gets Met With Low-Spirited Reception

Launching last week on October 31, 2024, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered was able to gather just about 2,500 players on the day of its release, as per stats provided by SteamDB. If you compare these figures to Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition — a packaged bundle for PC players that came out on August 2020 — you’d find that the latter is garnering more interest than a full-fledged AAA title from 7 days ago. 

Wild. 

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered’s sheer inability to attract more players than the Complete Edition of the original iteration even on launch day is proof that this game did not need to be brought back.” 

Credit Where It’s Due

PlayStation announced in a recent blog post that existing Horizon Zero Dawn owners would be subject to paying merely $10 to upgrade to the remastered version of the title. What’s more, on the positive side, is that despite the lack of fan interest in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Nixxes Software has done a marvelous job with the title at hand, and there’s just no doubting the quality on display here.

Existing owners of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition can upgrade to the digital version of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered for $9.99. New fans can purchase the game for $49.99 on PlayStation Store, Steam, or Epic Games Store. For PlayStation 5, a physical version is also available.”

The visuals are extremely slick, and the Horizon world looks breathtaking by every stretch of the word. The following technical analysis by Digital Foundry cuts into the nuance of the remaster’s graphical enhancements, and the before-and-after difference becomes super clear. Do give it a watch if you’re considering spending $10 on your existing copy of the RPG.   

Here Are The Remasters Sony Should Actually Look Into Instead

With all that being said and done, Sony is sitting on a number of remaster- or remake-worthy IPs that more than just deserve a remaining in their own right. Instead of focusing on the titles that I’m about to talk about in just a second, here’s a list of remakes and remasters we’ve received from Sony in the last decade or so: 

• The Last of Us Remastered
• The Last of Us Part 1 
• The Last of Us Part II Remastered 
• Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
• Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut

I will admit that some of these very well may be worth the endeavor, but you really can’t undermine the importance of certain other Sony games waiting for this treatment since forever. Bloodborne, for instance, is the premier title that comes to mind when you think of a PlayStation game awaiting its due justice. But that’s not all, here’s another gem that hasn’t been focused on in any capacity whatsoever. 

My colleague Najam wrote about the game at length, expressing his opinion that The Order: 1886’s vast potential has gone criminally unnoticed. There was clear room for spawning a new franchise, but unluckily, nothing ever came to fruition on that front either. 

Related Content to Check Out: 

• Sony CEO Confirms The PS5 Pro Was In The Works Even Before The Base PS5
• It’s About Time Sony Tried Something Other Than Cinematic “Movie” Games
• Sony Executive Admits Company Needs To Work On Having More Original IPs

Manhunt, Killzone, Resistance, Infamous, the list goes on, but it seems Sony has its eyes set elsewhere for now. I do not wish failure upon anyone in this world, but on the same side, I do hope that Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered’s dwindling numbers and low sales send a message to the higher ups, insinuating them to focus on what people actually want out of the company.