Sony is reportedly preparing to revive the Killzone franchise after a 13-year absence, according to a new report from MP1st. The sci-fi first-person shooter series, developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony, once stood as a central pillar of PlayStation's first-party lineup before the studio pivoted toward open-world games with Horizon Zero Dawn. The last mainline entry, Killzone: Shadow Fall, released in 2013 as a PS4 launch title, and the franchise has been effectively dormant since.
The report suggests Guerrilla Games would work with an external studio on the project, which remains in very early development. The new title could take the form of a remaster or remake of one of the existing games, with the original 2004 Killzone on PS2 appearing as the most likely candidate. There is also speculation that the project could evolve into a more substantial reboot of the franchise. For players who have waited over a decade for any sign of life from the series, even a remaster of the original game would represent a significant step toward modern accessibility.
Here's a thinking process:
According to MP1st, the potential Killzone revival would involve Guerrilla Games collaborating with an outside development partner rather than handling the project entirely in-house. The original Killzone released on PlayStation 2 in 2004, followed by two mainline sequels on PS3 before Shadow Fall arrived on PS4. The first three games received an anthology collection on PS3, but none of the series entries are currently playable on PS5 through backward compatibility or the PlayStation Plus Classics catalog. Even the PS2 original has not received the classic treatment that other legacy titles have gotten.
The report indicates the project is still in its earliest stages, leaving the final form uncertain. A straight remaster of the 2004 game would bring the Helghast invasion to modern hardware with visual upgrades, while a remake could rebuild the experience from the ground up. A full reboot would represent the most ambitious direction, potentially reimagining the franchise for a new generation of players unfamiliar with the ISA-Helghast conflict.
Here's a thinking process:
PlayStation signed a co-development agreement with People Can Fly, the studio behind Outriders, in March 2025 for a project codenamed Delta. MP1st reports that Delta is based on an existing PlayStation IP, leading to speculation that People Can Fly could be the external partner for the Killzone project. The studio's experience with cooperative shooters and action combat would align well with Killzone's multiplayer legacy, though this connection remains unconfirmed conjecture at this stage.
Guerrilla Games is currently focused on Horizon Hunter's Gathering, a live-service spin-off of the Horizon series that has reportedly been rebooted after a disappointing playtest. Kotaku previously reported that a true sequel to Horizon Forbidden West remains many years away as the bulk of the studio works on the multiplayer project. It is unclear how a Killzone collaboration would fit into Guerrilla's current pipeline, but an external studio handling the heavy lifting would allow the core team to maintain focus on Horizon.
Here's a thinking process:
Killzone debuted in 2004 as Sony's answer to Halo, establishing a gritty, militaristic sci-fi aesthetic that distinguished it from other console shooters of the era. The franchise spanned four mainline entries across PS2, PS3, and PS4, with the PS3 trilogy receiving an anthology release. But the series has been entirely absent from the PS5 generation, leaving a gap in PlayStation's first-person shooter portfolio that third-party titles like Call of Duty and Destiny have filled.
MP1st has a track record of accurate reporting on PlayStation first-party projects, though the outlet's sources remain anonymous. The People Can Fly co-development agreement is a matter of public record, confirmed in March 2025, but the specific IP attached to Project Delta has not been officially disclosed. Sony has not commented on the Killzone revival report, and no official announcement timeline has been indicated.
The Killzone franchise has been inaccessible on modern PlayStation hardware for years, making any revival — whether remaster, remake, or reboot — a welcome development for fans of the series. With Guerrilla Games occupied by Horizon's live-service ambitions and a true Horizon sequel still distant, an external partnership represents the most plausible path forward for the dormant IP. Players should watch for potential announcements at upcoming PlayStation showcases, though the early development stage suggests any reveal remains months or potentially years away.
