Horizon: Zero Dawn hasn’t won any awards yet, but that apparently hasn’t stopped Sony from trying to push a Game of the Year Edition of the popular RPG before it receives any official accolades.
The listing, which briefly appeared on Play-Asia before it was promptly pulled, suggests that the GOTY edition of Horizon: Zero Dawn would launch on Dec. 7 — a little more than a month after the first DLC pack, The Frozen Wilds, arrives on Nov. 5.
So, just how likely is it that this is the real deal? Very.
Despite the fact that Play-Asia does has a tendency to put up listings for games whose existence remains dubious for extended periods of time, its decision to quickly remove the page and not just leave it up speaks volumes. In addition, there is already a precedent for games receiving GOTY editions without actually winning the associated award, so a game as well-received as Horizon: Zero Dawn could easily get one — regardless of whether it wins anything.
If anything, the main thing that seems dubious about the listing is the release date.
Dec. 7 seems a little off due to the close proximity with the upcoming Frozen Wilds DLC. Why bother releasing stand alone DLC if Sony is just going to release an edition featuring all of the updates and content unlocked? One could make the argument that it would be for people who have yet to get the game already (which it is, really), but if that’s the case, why release it on a day that just barely misses the Black Friday shopping window? Confidence in the product, perhaps.
Of course, this is all merely supposition. There’s still a chance that Play-Asia made a mistake and there is no Horizon: Zero Dawn GOTY edition to speak of.
In any case, we’ll have to wait until Sony makes an announcement to see if this leak turns out to be legit.
