The first rumor comes from GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb. He said in an episode of the GiantBomb podcast (thanks Video Games Chronicle) that Sony was planning to slide Forbidden West into 2022 and make the announcement during a new State of Play in September.
The focus would be on the releases scheduled for the remainder of 2021 to boost positivity before releasing the delay news. Grubb cited access to “performance capture and talent” as a chief problem in development.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier said a source “familiar with the situation” told him a similar story, that Sony will delay Horizon Forbidden West until 2022.
However, Schreier also said “the pandemic has also provided a cover for developers to bump games that were facing obstacles regardless,” suggesting Guerrilla has encountered other problems aside from just access to motion capture and voice talent.
We’ll just have to wait and see.