Horizon Forbidden West was delayed to help reduce crunch, says its director

PlayStation’s latest big-budget triple-A blockbuster, Horizon Forbidden West, was delayed from an initial 2021 release and instead launched in 2022 to help eliminate crunch. This was revealed by the game’s director, Mathijs de Jonge, and it is something he and development studio Guerrilla Games feels strongly about.

In a recent Dutch language interview with NU.nl, which we have translated with DeepL Translator, Mathijs de Jonge explained that Guerrilla Games is “very aware of the disadvantages of crunching.” The avoidance of crunch is something that is taken into account during a game’s planning stage over at Guerrilla Games, with the studio sending “a very strong message” on crunch and that all-important work-life balance to its employees via time off for holidays such as Christmas.

Mathijs de Jonge claims that while Horizon Forbidden West could have released in 2021, the development team “might have had to work overtime.” He adds that “people… need to be able to relax and take vacations” and “that… played into the decision to only release the game now.” It’s nice seeing a studio taking crunch so seriously in a world where everyone wants everything yesterday.

Letting its employees work without the need for overtime led to Horizon Forbidden West being delayed, but the world becomes a better place every time a game is released without the need for crunch.