Killzone franchise reportedly returning after decade-long hiatus
The Killzone franchise, Sony’s gritty science-fiction shooter, is reportedly being revived more than a decade after its last mainline entry. According to new reports on 2026-09-05, a new project is in the very early stages of production, with original developer Guerrilla Games set to collaborate with an external studio to bring the Helghast war back to PlayStation consoles.
While Sony and Guerrilla have yet to make an official announcement, the project is believed to be either a remaster or a full remake of a past title. The franchise has been dormant since 2013’s Killzone: Shadow Fall, a PlayStation 4 launch game, leaving a notable gap in Sony’s first-party shooter lineup that this revival could finally fill.
Killzone franchise reportedly hints at new conflict
Initial reports, first surfacing on gaming site MP1st, suggest the project is in its infancy. Details remain scarce, but the current speculation points toward two main avenues: a modern remaster of an existing game or a more ambitious, ground-up remake. This follows a major industry trend of reviving classic titles for new audiences, a strategy that has seen immense success for other publishers.
The most likely candidate for a remake is the original Killzone, released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004. The game established the grim universe and the iconic Helghast antagonists but is now two decades old, making it a prime target for a complete visual and mechanical overhaul. The original’s gritty tone set it apart from competitors at the time.
Alternatively, the project could morph into a full-scale reboot of the series, reimagining the core conflict for a new generation. However, given the ‘very early’ stage of development described in the reports, a remake or remaster appears to be the more probable path.
The series’ later entries on PS3 received an anthology collection but remain inaccessible on PS5 outside of streaming, representing a gap in Sony’s backwards compatibility offerings.
Guerrilla’s divided focus and the external studio theory
The news comes as Guerrilla Games is reportedly focused on other major projects, which explains the rumored involvement of a third-party developer. The studio’s primary attention is allegedly on salvaging Horizon Hunter’s Gathering, a multiplayer spin-off of its wildly successful Horizon series. That game was reportedly rebooted after it failed to impress during recent playtests.
With the bulk of Guerrilla’s resources dedicated to its live-service Horizon title, development on a true sequel to Horizon Forbidden West is still many years away. A ‘tiny team’ is said to be working on the next single-player adventure for Aloy. This packed schedule makes an external partnership for a Killzone franchise revival a logical strategic move for Sony.
By outsourcing the bulk of development, Guerrilla can maintain creative oversight on its original IP without derailing its current production pipeline. This model allows Sony to fill its release calendar with a beloved franchise, leveraging nostalgia while its biggest studios work on next-generation sequels. This strategy seems to be growing in popularity, with many publishers looking to their back catalog for new content.
Could People Can Fly be the partner?
Speculation is already swirling about the identity of the external studio, and one name has emerged as a strong possibility: People Can Fly. The Polish developer, known for its work on action-packed shooters like Outriders and the cult classic Bulletstorm, has an existing relationship with Sony. This makes them a prime candidate for the job.
In March 2025, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced a co-development agreement with People Can Fly for a new title based on an existing PlayStation IP. This project, codenamed ‘Project Delta,’ has been kept under wraps, but its description perfectly matches the profile of a Killzone revival. While the connection is purely conjectural at this point, the studio’s extensive experience with the shooter genre is undeniable.
A complicated legacy for a one-time ‘Halo killer’
If these reports prove true, it marks a significant reversal for a franchise that was once a pillar of the PlayStation brand. Debuting in 2004, Killzone was positioned as Sony’s answer to Microsoft’s dominant Halo series. Its six-game run spanned the PS2, PSP, PS3, and PS Vita, culminating with the PS4’s Killzone: Shadow Fall.
The series’ history is a mixed bag. The original sold around 2 million copies, while Killzone 2 was lauded for its graphical fidelity and gritty multiplayer, selling over a million units.
Shadow Fall moved over 2.1 million copies as a PS4 launch title but received a lukewarm critical reception, and its online servers were shut down in August 2022. The franchise has seen little official acknowledgment since, aside from minor crossovers.
As recently as 2024, Guerrilla Games art director Roy Postma stated the studio was ‘done with’ Killzone, preferring the ‘brighter, more vibrant world of Horizon.’ This sentiment underscored the studio’s pivot to open-world action RPGs, which proved to be a massive commercial and critical success.
Bringing the series back now indicates a potential shift in strategy from Sony, perhaps recognizing the value of a diverse portfolio that includes dedicated first-person shooters alongside its signature third-person titles.
Why now? Sony’s strategy and the remaster trend
The timing of this rumored revival is telling. Sony’s aggressive push into the live-service market has faced challenges, including the reported reboot of Guerrilla’s own Horizon Hunter’s Gathering. In this climate, reviving a known IP like Killzone is a comparatively safe and calculated business decision.
It leverages an existing fanbase and brand recognition to deliver content while more ambitious, and riskier, projects are in the works.
The video game industry is currently riding a massive wave of remakes and remasters. Titles like Demon’s Souls, another Sony-backed project, have proven there is a substantial market for modernizing beloved classics.
A Killzone remake would fit perfectly into this trend, offering both a nostalgia trip for older fans and a new entry point for players who missed the series during its original run. This comes amidst a broader period of new game developments and industry shifts.
For now, the future of Killzone remains unconfirmed. The reports indicate the project, if it exists, is planned for release before the next mainline Horizon game. However, any delays with Hunter’s Gathering could have a cascading effect on Guerrilla’s production schedule.
A return to the grim battlefields of Helghan would be a welcome surprise for many PlayStation fans, reintroducing a distinct and iconic shooter to a platform that has largely moved on from the genre it once helped define.