The PS VR2 launch title Horizon: Call of the Mountain It was far from a game-changer for the headset; it was more of a glorified tech demo. Game director Alex Barnes is now facing the consequences and has been fired.
Barnes shares this in an update to X with, who has to leave the development studio Firesprite after 7 years. There he talks about a few difficult months behind him and a talented team he is leaving behind.
“Today was my last day at Firesprite and PlayStation, as I'm being let go after almost seven years here. It's been a tough time these past few months, but thank you to everyone who continued to support each other through it all. You've been incredible! […] The people at Firesprite and Guerrilla who came together to create Horizon: Call of the Mountain were some of the most talented and dedicated developers I've ever had the privilege of working with. It has been the honor of my life to serve as Game Director on such a team.”
Horizon: Call of the Mountain is not a good game
The fact that Barnes' departure didn't happen much earlier is actually much more surprising. Horizon: Call of the Mountain It wasn't a particularly good game, perhaps showcasing the innovative features of PS VR2, but in terms of content and gameplay, it was a complete dud. The fact that Sony then wanted to charge a whopping €80 for it was, on top of that, quite outrageous.
In our Review of Horizon: Call of the Mountain It becomes clear that the game should actually be free. It states:
"Reviewing Horizon: Call of the Mountain is difficult. On the one hand, the graphics, aside from its frame rate issues, are almost unrivaled and thus a perfect showcase for Sony's new headset. On the other hand, after about two hours of gameplay, the climbing becomes more tedious than breathtaking for long stretches and lacks the gameplay depth that would have been possible. However, the biggest problem is the price. At €20-30, despite its weaknesses, it would be a great game that could be recommended to any new PSVR2 owner to get the most out of the graphics and impress family and friends. At €70, however, it's pure hype, because self-proclaimed AAA titles have to deliver more in terms of both gameplay and scope than Sony has with its first supposed flagship title."
Even on Metacritic reached Horizon: Call of the Mountain It's nowhere near the level of the 2D versions, and even with a score of 79, some reviewers probably didn't want to upset Sony by awarding it 100 points. User reviews are also significantly worse and far from a perfect score.
As if the producer can be held responsible if Sony simply releases hardware without really having a concept.
And yes, the price – who set it? Was it Rayn or the producer? For me, VR is still a niche product, no matter how you try to make it sound good. As long as it doesn't conquer the world like the Wii did back then, it's not going to happen.
Incidentally, consoles already struggle with normal games at 4k and 60fps, so Tetris in VR is still Tetris.
He is the game director; he largely determines the direction of the game, and the content was garbage.
Yeah, no matter what you call it, Sony significantly influenced the direction of the game with the hardware when they released it, or rather, whether they had a vision or not. And then this guy is supposed to come up with an innovative game concept? Put yourself in his shoes: you're making games and suddenly the CEO just throws the thing at your feet and says, "Go for it!"
They should have first compiled a lineup and then released the game, or at least had a roadmap like with traditional consoles.
Or rather (sorry for the excessive use of "or") I seriously wonder how they imagined this working. Everyone knows that all the studios primarily develop third-person games, and developing a game takes 3-4 years. It was foreseeable that they couldn't simply switch current products to VR (first-person perspective) because the game concepts aren't designed for it, for example, Spider-Man, etc.
Yes, but as director, it's his job to bring in good mechanics, variety, etc. He has to do what the bosses say from above, which is usually something like the general direction, i.e., diversity, open world, monetization, basic concept, and cornerstones.
If the game is simply bland and offers no good mechanics, epic moments, or simply good gameplay, it's his job to improve that.
But ultimately, Sony should never have approved it. Blaming him alone is wrong, and we don't know what he was required to implement or, conversely, what he wasn't allowed to implement.
Sony should release this for Quest 3; then they'll actually make some money off it 😉