Horizon Forbidden West: Audience and Industry blog tasks

 Audience

Look at this YouGov blog on the console gaming audience and answer the following questions:

1) What statistics can you find for the number of male / female players for the major consoles?

71% for  male and 29% for  women for PS5 and 68% male  for Xbox and 32% for Women 

2) What is the difference between 'hardcore' and 'casual' gamers - and which do you think would play Horizon Forbidden West?

the “hardcore” – those who say they take video games seriously, or play competitively – are a minority, and one with the highest representation on the PS5 (19%) and Xbox Series X|S (20%).

Casual gamers are most common on the Nintendo Switch (45%), and the PC, where half of players identify as casual (51%)

3) What are the different reasons YouGov researched for why players play games? Which of these would apply to Horizon Forbidden West?

dedicated gaming platform, and has other functions: while some will play graphically demanding titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Spider-Man: Miles Morales or Destiny, others may be interested in a more relaxing experience on their commute – or in between work projects or chores – such as Solitaire or Stardew Valley.

Look at the PlayStation website page for Horizon Forbidden West. Complete the following tasks: 

1) How is the game promoted to an audience?

They are  promoted with a synopsis and game overview describing what the  game is about

2) What are the key features for the game listed on the site?

• Released  Date 
• Offline play enabled
• 1 player
• Accessibility features (25)
• Accessibility Features
• PS5 Version
• PS5 Pro Enhanced
• PS5 game streaming supported only with Premium subscription

3) What information does the website offer players about the game world and characters? Give a few examples.

Brave an expansive open world: Discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters. 

A majestic frontier; Explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.

Confront new dangers: Engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.

4) What spin-offs and additional content are available as part of the Horizon franchise?  

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC

Travel beyond the Forbidden West as Aloy’s story continues in this epic expansion to Aloy's adventure. Enter the Burning Shores once you've completed the main quest. 

5) Applying Henry Jenkins's work on fandom, what aspects of the website (you may need to scroll down) encourage fan activity and engagement with online Horizon communities?  

They have links to the Horizon hub where they have character overviews for fans as well as also  guide on how to papercraft different machines 

Read this Wired feature on Horizon Forbidden West's open world design. Answer the following questions: 

1) Why did the writer enjoy Horizon Forbidden West?

ith Horizon Forbidden West, once I was really immersed and loving every second of the gameplay, I started relishing exploring every nook and cranny of the map. I really enjoyed backtracking and being able to pace myself the way I wanted to. When I started feeling aimless,

2) How is Horizon Forbidden West structured for players when they first start the game?

With Horizon Forbidden West, once I was really immersed and loving every second of the gameplay, I started relishing exploring every nook and cranny of the map. I really enjoyed backtracking and being able to pace myself the way I wanted to. When I started feeling aimless, 

3) Why does the writer feel HFW created a more successful open world game than The Witcher 3?

The Witcher 3 is designed to encourage you to explore before you tackle the main story quests, to the point that you’re actually punished if you don’t fully investigate an area before moving on. (If your current level is above the quest level, you get minimal or no experience points for completing quests. Let me tell you how frustrating that can be when you’re a person who likes to be constantly over-levelled so you don’t die all the time and you don’t find this out until 15 hours into a game.) I know some people thrive in games built like this, where there are no real rules or limits and the possibilities are endless; I am not one of them. With Horizon Forbidden West, once I was really immersed and loving every second of the gameplay,  I started relishing exploring every nook and cranny of the map. I really enjoyed backtracking and being able to pace myself the way I wanted to. When I started feeling aimless, 

Industries

Industry research

1) Research Sony PlayStation Studios.  

PlayStation Studios is a creator-led organisation. Our collective of studios and teams have built some of the most memorable gaming experiences imaginable. Together, we build worlds.

Hardware Sales: PS5 nearing 85M units; PS4 over 117M units.

PlayStation Network (PSN) Users: Over 123 million monthly active users.

Revenue: PlayStation division generated $11.4 billion in Q1 2025.

PlayStation Plus: Premium subscriptions hit 23.7 million.

Most Played Games (2025): Fortnite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Roblox.

Player Demographics (2025): 51% of users under 35, with 29% women gamers. 

PlayStation 2: Over 160 million units sold, the best-selling console ever.

PlayStation (Original): First console to ship 100 million units. 

2) What studios are part of Sony PlayStation Studios?

Naughty Dog: Creators of Uncharted & The Last of Us.

Insomniac Games: Known for Ratchet & Clank and Marvel's Spider-Man.

Santa Monica Studio: The team behind the God of War series.

Guerrilla Games: Makers of the Horizon franchise.

Sucker Punch: Developed Ghost of Tsushima.

Polyphony Digital: The studio for the Gran Turismo racing simulators.

Media Molecule: Creators of Dreams and LittleBigPlanet.

Bend Studio: Creators of Days Gone.

Housemarque: Known for Returnal.

Team Asobi: Developed Astro's Playroom and Astro Bot.

San Diego Studio: Produces the MLB The Show series.

Bluepoint Games: Specializes in remasters/remakes, e.g., Demon's Souls.

Nixxes Software: Focuses on PC ports and optimization.

Valkyrie Entertainment: A support studio for titles like God of War Ragnarok.

Bungie: Acquired by Sony, known for Destiny and Halo. 

 

3) What notable games have they produced? 

PlayStation (Sony Interactive Entertainment) has produced many iconic games, known for high-quality exclusives like The Last of Us series, God of War (2018 & Ragnarök), Marvel's Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost of Tsushima, Uncharted, and Bloodborne, alongside major franchises such as Gran Turismo, Ratchet & Clank, and the innovative ASTRO BOT series, defining generations of gaming with compelling stories and technical prowess. 

4) Now research Guerrilla Games. Look at the 'Explore' page in particular. Who owns Guerrilla Games and how does it reflect the modern videogames industry? 

Guerrilla games is one of the subsidiary of Sony and is one of the biggest euro game company's in the world  this links with the ideas of  mergers and takeovers and vertical integration.  

5) Choose one of the 'Guerrilla Spotlight' features and write three things you learn about the videogames industry and/or Guerrilla Games from the interview.

•  That Guerrilla games was founded in 2003 and had worked on a popular game called Killzone 
•   They are set in based in Amsterdam 
• That at a gaming event called E3  they demonstrate up and coming games. 

Read this USA Today feature on Guerrilla Games. Answer the following questions: 

1) Which three companies merged to become Guerrilla Games? 

Orange Games, Digital Infinity, and Formula Game Development

Orange games: Orange Games was established in 1993 by Arjan Brussee, co-designer of the aforementioned Jazz Jackrabbit and its sequel

Digital infinity: Digital Infinity’s output has been lost in time, but there’s at least the record that it was formed in 1995 by Arnout van de Kamp

Formula game development: Formula Game Development’s portfolio is, similarly, a mystery. It was formed in 1998 by Martin de Ronde and sold to Lost Boys a year later. 

2) What other games and franchises were created by Guerrilla Games?

there for over a decade by the point of Guerrilla’s very beginnings. Nijmegen Adventure, by Wim Couwenberg, released in 1980 and offered a text adventure for the Commodore PET and 64. Throughout the ‘80s, homebrewed titles found small audiences in Holland, including the wonderful Oh Sh*t! - an unabashed Pac-Man clone that simply adds digital speech to the game and makes the ghosts voice the eponymous exclamation when the player catches them.  

but also on the Zelda license. 1993’s Zelda: The Magic Wand of Gamelon

3) How did Guerrilla maximise the Killzone franchise? 

. Killzone, on the other hand, faced criticism more technical in nature. Graphics glitches, bugs and performance issues put a hurdle between players and an enjoyable, challenging and dark shooter. 

But it didn’t stop it. There’d been a huge amount of what we might now call hype for Killzone before release, and that tide of excitement overcame the bugbears. Over a million copies were sold, and that was enough to get Sony to draw up a first-party contract for Guerrilla, ensuring that from 2004 onwards all the titles it developed would appear only on PlayStation consoles. The deal meant that when Horizon: Zero Dawn released on PC in the summer of 2020, it was the first Guerrilla title to make it to that platform since Shellshock: Nam ‘67 in 2004. 

4) What did Sony sign with Guerrilla in 2004? 

The agreement formalized an already close working relationship that began during the development of their first joint project, the game Killzone, which was released later in 2004 for the PlayStation 2. The success of Killzone prompted Sony to pursue the exclusive arrangement and ultimately acquire the studio in December 2005, making Guerrilla a wholly owned, first-party Sony studio. 

5) How is Horizon Forbidden West described in the article and what is the next stage for the franchise?  

Horizon, on the other hand, has a different atmosphere entirely. It’s a world bearing the scars of a mysterious lost civilization, a far future that looks like a distant past, and it’s just about hospitable that you can exhale and take in the scenery now and then.

Horizon: Forbidden West will be only the studio’s eighth game as Guerrilla Games, and only its third outside the Killzone franchise. Its next announced project, a VR title co-developed with Firesprite called Horizon: Call of the Mountain, is in many ways the perfect example of what the studio’s about: a deepening of a universe it created itself,

Regulation and PEGI

1) What is HFW's PEGI rating and what age rating do you feel would be appropriate? Why?

Horizon Forbidden West (HFW) is officially rated PEGI 16 in the UK for Violence, but its predecessor, Horizon Zero Dawn, was often seen as suitable for teens (13+) due, to non-gruesome combat, though it also has PEGI 16/T (Teen) ratings. An appropriate age rating depends on the player, with PEGI 12-16 being a common recommendation, balancing the intense combat against robot dinosaurs with the game's mature themes, but parental discretion is key for younger teens due to violence and darker post-apocalyptic settings. 

2) Why is regulating videogames difficult in the digital age?

 I have  7 reasons  for why it's difficult 

1.Rapid Technological Evolution: Games change faster than laws can adapt, making it hard to define "harm" or create effective assessment tools beyond basic content ratings (like PEGI for new mechanics like gambling-adjacent features  like loot boxes.

2. Global & Borderless Nature: Games operate across jurisdictions, but data storage, player interactions, and company headquarters are in different countries, creating complex international data transfer and legal compliance issues.

3. Regulating harmful content in real-time player interactions (chat, user-created levels such a Minecraft ) is difficult due to slang, inconsistent moderation, overburdened systems, and the sheer volume of content.

4. Digital models (in-game purchases, subscriptions, live services) introduce issues like "planned obsolescence" (servers shut down, games become unplayable) and exploitative practices that blur lines with gambling, requiring new consumer protection laws.

5.Collecting vast amounts of player data for personalization creates risks of breaches and requires complex compliance with diverse regulations (like GDPR), adding costs and challenges for developers.

6.Different platforms have vastly different moderation standards such as PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo switch , and a lack of a clear, unified regulatory framework makes enforcement inconsistent, impacting creators and consumers.

7. Finding the right balance between protecting minors and vulnerable adults from potential harms (addiction, exploitation) and preserving consumer choice and creative freedom is a constant struggle. 

3) Are attitudes towards media content and regulation changing as a result of the internet? Explain your answer.

I think so yes, attitudes towards media content and regulation are changing significantly as a result of the internet, with the public generally favouring more regulation of online platforms. 

Data actually shows this and supports my opinion as a lot more people online are starting to move away from free speech as they think people shouldn't be able to say whatever they want online as it is extremely harmful. evidence to support my opinion  as:

 A majority of people now support the establishment of an independent regulator for online content. YouGov polling in August 2024 found that seven in ten Britons believe social media companies are not regulated enough.

Public opinion is shifting away from an absolute "free speech" stance online. An Ofcom report found that in 2022, 55% of people disagreed with the idea that individuals should be able to say whatever they want online, even if hurtful, a rise from 47% in 2020.

 A large-scale international survey indicated broad support for content moderation, with 79% of respondents favouring the removal of incitements to violence. 

The public is seriously concerned about the societal harms caused by the lack of online regulation, particularly the spread of misinformation ("fake news") and the misuse of personal data, which can impact democratic processes.

Fewer adults feel the internet is good for society, with figures declining from 40% in 2023 to 33% in 2025, and fewer feel the personal benefits outweigh the risks (65% in 2025, down from 71% two years prior). This suggests growing public awareness of potential negative consequences.