PlayStation Plus Subscribers Confused by Another First-Party Game Leaving Soon

Why would PlayStation take away first-party games from PS Plus?

By Tanner Dedmon

PlayStation Plus subscribers are scratching their heads wondering why PlayStation's subscription service is booting out another first-party game soon. The former PlayStation exclusive in question that's leaving PlayStation Plus soon is none other than Horizon Zero Dawn, the 2017 game from Guerrilla Games that kicked off PlayStation's ever-growing Horizon series. PlayStation Plus subscribers first caught wind of the game leaving the service within the past few weeks when a notice within the PlayStation Store hinted that the game's departure would happen in May, and now, PlayStation has confirmed as much.

PlayStation said in no uncertain terms within the latest announcement about the new PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium games for May that Horizon Zero Dawn would be taken out of PlayStation Plus. Towards the bottom of the rundown of new PlayStation Plus games, PlayStation said you have until May 21st to play Horizon Zero Dawn.

"A note for our PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members: as part of our normal content refresh, a selection of titles, such as Horizon Zero Dawn, will leave Game Catalog later this month. Members with Game Catalog benefits can still play these games until May 21."

When people first noticed that the PlayStation Plus game would be leaving the service prior to PlayStation outright confirming it, the first thought was that it might be getting removed to make way for a potential remaster or remake in the future. PlayStation does seem to like putting out new versions of its first-party games in quick succession with Director's Cut editions for Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding being two examples as well as Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, and considering how successful the Horizon series has been thus far, it wouldn't be surprising to see the original Horizon Zero Dawn be brought back in some form or fashion.

That may be the case, and we may find out about it sooner rather than later with rumors about a looming PlayStation Showcase intensifying ahead of the summer gaming events, but that doesn't mean that PlayStation Plus subscribers are happy about this removal. People within the comments of the latest PlayStation Plus announcement lamented not only the perceived quality of the new PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium games but also the fact that more games were being pulled without equivalent games to replace them.

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"The main issue with this month's update for me is that May 21 is the worst month so far in terms of the quality of the games leaving the service. We're losing every Final Fantasy game, every Darksiders game, Horizon, and plenty of indie gens such as The Messenger and The Artful Escape," one user said. "What we get in return doesn't make up for the huge drop in the overall quality of the catalog."

Horizon Zero Dawn will exit PlayStation Plus on May 21st, so get in one last weekend with it while you can if you've never played.

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