As we've all seen by now, Horizon Zero Dawn has a shiny, new cinematic trailer. That this trailer dropped the very next day after Microsoft announced the cancelation of Scalebound is undoubtedly a coincidence, but I'm certain both Sony and Guerrilla Games are viewing it much more as a happy accident.
Microsoft? I certainly wouldn't be happy if I cancel a hotly anticipated exclusive title one day only to find a fresh new advertisement for my competition the next. Must have made for a rough morning.
Let's be fair, too. For at least the month of February, when Horizon Zero Dawn will be releasing, Microsoft will have its own exclusive in Halo Wars 2, but beyond that month, Sony and PS4 will still be going strong, whereas Microsoft's Windows 10 and Xbox One lineup is … nothing to write home about.
It many respects, Horizon Zero Dawn is flat-out bad news for Microsoft. It's as though Sony is directly calling out to saddened Microsoft gamers saying "You wanted Scalebound, a visually stunning, open-world, action adventure game with giant creatures? We have something you might like."
For the moment, beyond hardlined fans that will buy anything Xbox One puts out and nothing on the PS4, Microsoft doesn't really have an answer for that market. Crackdown 3 might do the trick, but it's not scheduled until Q4 of 2017 – if this year at all. This smells an awful lot like that famous E3 all those years ago when Xbox One Announced at $499, only for Sony to announce PS4 at $399.
That, alone, undoubtedly is a huge contributing factor the the PS4's outselling Xbox One, as Sony has gained quite a bit of ground simply by watching Microsoft stumble. While you may write this off now, don't be surprised if Horizon Zero Dawn has Microsoft wishing they could smooth things over with Platinum games.
