Video Summary - AJSN WK35B- Horizon Live Service REBOOTED?!, Riot Shuts Down 2XKO, Bautista as Kratos, Wardogs BETA

Storyline / Setting (Horizon Live Service “Hunters Gathering”)

The video discusses Horizon Hunters Gathering, a Sony live-service spin on the Horizon IP.
While the “story” details aren’t covered, the central narrative point is the game’s intended live-service structure—and that it’s being scaled back due to negative player feedback.
As a result, the final product may feel less like the originally planned Horizon live shooter experience.

A 15-minute gameplay showcase from Game Science is highlighted.
Compared to the first game’s impact, the presenters say the new footage is:
- still visually and technically impressive, but
- less focused on “creature/monkey” spectacle and more towards a less exciting direction at first glance.
Notable elements mentioned:
- The protagonist is a ghost-slaying Taoist deity.
- The trailer shows riding a tiger and a dragon (riding/summoning mechanics are speculated).

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is not mentioned as Kratos—this section is about Dave Bautista.
Dave Bautista is reported as the new Kratos for the God of War TV adaptation.
The focus is production-related rather than gameplay:
- expectations for Kratos’s look (especially the beard and concerns about realism),
- and how casting choices could affect audience reception over multiple seasons.

Double Fine announces its next game will be chosen by fan votes.
- The vote is described as community voting, not an open “internet” vote.
The presenters joke about past absurdities, but the takeaway is:
- the studio wants fans to shape the project to avoid misaligned mass voting outcomes.

Riot is said to have ended active development for 2XKO.
Operational details:
- servers will continue beyond 2026,
- but offline play won’t be effective,
- and active development is over—making it effectively “gone for good” as a live product.

The biggest “live-service” gameplay topic:
- live service elements are reportedly being gutted from Horizon Hunters Gathering due to negative player feedback.
Why this matters (as described):
- players didn’t want grinding/live-service mechanics added onto Horizon,
- the presenters suggest the game could become a “shell” of what was originally planned, since it was designed around live-service structure.
Timing/feasibility concern:
- the developers reportedly have until December to decide how to proceed without live-service elements.

General impressions:
- Spawns are criticized as “really bad” (especially compared to typical issues the speakers expect).
- The presenters praise gun feel and sound.
- They emphasize the time-to-kill is extremely fast.

The video strongly highlights War Dogs as the beta that held attention.
Gameplay positives:
- Progression unlocks; the fun comes from building toward better loadouts/tools.
- Squad/team behavior is framed as critical: being alone leads to frustrating deaths.
- It’s easy to join the same squad automatically.
Common frustrations:
- Crashes and stability problems (including a described PC crash loop for one player and issues for another).
- Sniping from across the map can feel unfair; the counterpoint offered:
  - don’t isolate yourself,
  - use squadmates for safety/support,
  - reposition to avoid open areas that enable long-range shots.
- Because it feels like a realistic military sim, “rage quitting” is more likely if players don’t get enough time on target before dying.
Numbers discussed:
- weekend peak is cited around ~105k concurrent peak, with comparisons to other games’ peaks.
Refund/community angle:
- some people refunded due to crashes, but the presenters still felt the purchase was “worth it.”
- they describe a “refund gamble” paying off for their experience, though others had worse issues.

Arc Raiders is discussed as an extraction shooter with expedition resets.
Problems called out:
- expeditions felt punishing (tight timing, resource grind, accessibility issues for new players),
- reward structure and departure windows were criticized,
- materials sometimes don’t feel meaningful immediately (example: needing many specific items).
Announced fix:
- Expeditions are paused after the fifth expedition.
- Expeditions resume in early 2027.
- Embark plans major improvements and will share more details in September.

Don’t go alone: if you’re isolated, long-range enemies (including snipers) can wipe you quickly.
Play around squad support:
- squadmates can reposition you,
- drag/heal you,
- cover your flanks so you’re not exposed.
Avoid open sightlines: use cover and positioning so “across-map sniping” isn’t your default outcome.
Treat it like a tactical sim:
- if you rage quit after a few bad runs, the genre/time budget may not match your preferences.

No specific external sources (news sites, studios, or publications) are formally credited beyond the games/studios mentioned in discussion.
Featured individuals (gamers/hosts/guests mentioned):
- Alex (host/speaker)
- Joe (host/speaker)
- Z
- Flippy
- Zero (mentioned in the context of Arc Raiders expeditions and other games)
Studios / creators referenced:
- Game Science (Black Myth)
- Riot Games (2XKO)
- Guerilla Games (Horizon-related studio mention)
- Compulsion Games (Xbox separation announcement)
- Double Fine (fan-voted next game)
- Embark (Arc Raiders)