It’s quite apparent that Horizon: Zero Dawn is meant to be drastically different than previous titles developed by Guerrilla Games and you can tell that by just looking at the game’s main character, Aloy. Game director Mathijs de Jonge speaking with GameStop:

 When we started with a concept we felt like we had a pretty fresh mix of ingredients; the BBC nature documentary kind of feel, and then the sci-fi elements with the robots. We also felt like we need a fresh main character. We’ve been making Killzone games; we’ve done male protagonists for quite a while. Now, we wanted to do something else. 

For the unfamiliar, Guerrilla Games is best known for their PlayStation-exclusive franchise Killzone which in short is all about pushing the graphic threshold with as much testosterone as possible. At the same time, this also meant that the Killzone franchise could never grow in visuals beyond the stellar, but blandly colored worlds depicted and it certainly couldn’t peak much beyond your typical FPS cliches of reasons to mow down the enemy.

Now mind you that this comes from somebody who is a huge fan of the franchise and actually appreciates the world GG has constructed, which is quite fascinating in its own right. However in order for the team to expand and flex their creativity, they not only needed to shift the game’s genre, but lead as well.

 We’re switching from first-person shooter to open-world action RPG. Everything is shifting, so this was another thing we wanted to try. And we felt like a female character like Aloy would fit in really well. 

Though Santa Monica Studios didn’t go as far as to change God of War’s genre and lead, Kratos will be an entirely different character than we’ve known previously. Where before, much like an FPS, Kratos was all about destruction and rage, we’re finally going to see a character that actually has depth to him which allows the devs at SMS to explore entirely new plots and gameplay scenarios. For Guerrilla Games, the same will be true with Horizon which will allow them to explore vastly different game types and in turn, spend more time on its lead who will surely have a very different motivating force to drive the plot forward.

 What we have been focusing on is not if it’s male or female, but it’s more to figure out her personality. Make her personality really interesting. And also the way she looks; make that feel like she’s really a tribal hunter. That fits in this world and surroundings 

Unfortunately for this reason alone, GG is taking a huge risk. After all, console game purchases are primarily driven by men and as a film like Ghostbusters has proven, it’s not easy to get them to sign on to a cast of all females. Still, as the over all gaming demographic diversifies, especially when you bring mobile into the mix, I’m quite curious to see the results of a AAA title like Horizon with a female lead that by nature will bring a different tone to the game.

 She’s very curious and determined, and she wants to explore the world and figure out these mysteries. And hopefully we can give the player the same feeling; you want to know what’s out there, you want to discover these new Machines, you want to meet the new tribes. That’s how we’ve mostly designed her character. 

Hopefully the end result is not only a stellar game, but one that’s financially successful as well which can only help fight the stigma that blockbuster films and games cannot have female leads – like Ghostbusters just did over the weekend.

Discuss:

Do you think having a female lead in a AAA title can hurt sales?