Hit PlayStation game Horizon Zero Dawn set to become a movie – but how queer will it be?
Horizon Zero Dawn is getting a movie. (Sony)
Horizon: Zero Dawn is heading to the big screen, according to Sony.
The action adventure title is in its early stages, Asad Qizilbash, the head of PlayStation Productions, revealed at a press conference this week. “Just imagine, Aloy’s beloved origin story, set in a vibrant, far-future world, brought to you for the first time on the big screen,” he said.
The 2017 Guerrilla Games title features protagonist Aloy, who is canonically queer, uncovering her past in a world overrun by machines. Aloy’s story continued in the sequel Horizon Forbidden West, and in the Burning Shores expansion that was released in 2023. That adventure included a twist for its main character: an optional LGBTQ+ romance route.
The title was also remastered in 2020, coinciding with the release of the PlayStation 5. Will the movie version explore Aloy’s sexuality further? We certainly hope so.
However, no further details about the project were given by Qizilbash, who later announced a film adaptation of Helldivers 2 and a TV series based on Ghost of Tsushima.
Sony’s previous game adaptation Uncharted, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, only received moderate praise from critics and film-goers in 2022.
Horizon Zero Dawn has been a point of particular pride for the publishing studio, with Aloy gracing a number of adaptations and collaborations, including Fortnite and a Lego video game.
Despite the franchise’s popularity, the Horizon series has – inevitably – been branded “woke” by some right-wing pundits.
A post in 2021, following the release of Horizon Forbidden West, in which a user edits Aloy to hyper-feminise her in an effort to prove that she is “masculine as hell” became so ridiculed that it has since become a viral meme.
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