Guerrilla Games

Guerrilla Games, legally Guerrilla B.V., is a Dutch video-game developer headquartered in Amsterdam and operating as a first-party studio within Sony Interactive Entertainment’s PlayStation Studios organization. The company is best known for creating the science-fiction military-shooter series Killzone and the open-world action role-playing series Horizon. The studio was established on 1 January 2000 as Lost Boys Games through the consolidation of three Dutch development teams: Orange Games, Digital Infinity, and Formula Game Development. It initially operated under Lost Boys, a multimedia group associated with entrepreneur Michiel Mol. The new studio had a small team and began by producing handheld games, including titles for the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. Its early experience also included work-for-hire development, partly because publishers showed stronger interest in licensed properties than in the studio’s original characters. Lost Boys Games became independent in 2001 after the corporate merger involving Lost Boys and IconMediaLab. Media Republic later acquired a majority stake in the studio, and in July 2003 the company adopted the Guerrilla Games name. Around this period, it developed two substantially larger projects: Killzone for Sony Computer Entertainment and Shellshock: Nam ’67 for Eidos Interactive. Released in 2004, both games received mixed critical responses, but Killzone attracted significant attention and sold more than one million copies worldwide. Its commercial performance helped establish Guerrilla as an important European PlayStation developer. In March 2004, Guerrilla entered an exclusive development relationship with Sony for PlayStation platforms. Sony subsequently acquired the studio in December 2005, making Guerrilla one of the company’s wholly owned first-party developers. The studio continued the Killzone series with Killzone: Liberation for PlayStation Portable, Killzone 2 for PlayStation 3, and Killzone 3 for PlayStation 3. These games emphasized large-scale science-fiction warfare, cinematic presentation, and technically ambitious console production. Guerrilla introduced a new intellectual property, Horizon Zero Dawn, at E3 2015. The game shifted the studio from a primarily linear military-shooter identity toward a broad open-world role-playing format. It follows Aloy, a hunter exploring a post-apocalyptic world populated by machine creatures while investigating the origins of her society and her own past. Released for PlayStation 4 in 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn received strong critical reviews and became one of the platform’s best-selling titles. Its expansion, The Frozen Wilds, followed later that year. A Windows version launched in 2020, extending the franchise beyond PlayStation hardware. The sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, was revealed in 2020 and released in 2022 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It expanded the setting, traversal systems, machine encounters, and narrative introduced by its predecessor. Guerrilla also collaborated with Firesprite on Horizon Call of the Mountain, a virtual-reality title for PlayStation VR2 released in 2023, and developed the Burning Shores expansion for Horizon Forbidden West. A central part of Guerrilla’s technical identity is Decima, its proprietary game engine. The technology has supported the studio’s own titles and has also been used by external partners, including Kojima Productions for Death Stranding. In 2023, technical leadership changes placed Michiel van der Leeuw’s primary focus on the continuing development of Decima. The studio has expanded substantially from its early teams. Its Amsterdam operation had about 250 employees in 2018, and the company moved into a larger Amsterdam location in 2020. As of 2025, Guerrilla was reported to employ approximately 385 people. Following changes to studio leadership in 2023, Jan-Bart van Beek, Joel Eschler, and Hella Schmidt served as studio directors. Guerrilla remains an active PlaySta…

Guerrilla Games began on 1 January 2000 as Lost Boys Games, created by merging Orange Games, Digital Infinity, and Formula Game Development in the Netherlands. The new studio operated as a subsidiary of Lost Boys, a multimedia conglomerate, and initially employed a small team led by managing director Martin de Ronde. Hermen Hulst became managing director the following year. The studio’s first work focused on handheld software. It produced games for the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, including Dizzy’s Candy Quest, Rhino Rumble, Black Belt Challenge, and Invader. The team also undertook work-for-hire projects after publishers showed limited interest in its original-character concepts. In 2001, Lost Boys Games became independent following Lost Boys’ corporate merger with IconMediaLab, while Michiel Mol retained ownership. Media Republic acquired a 75 percent stake in 2003, and the studio was renamed Guerrilla Games in July of that year. Guerrilla’s first major console projects were Killzone, developed for Sony Computer Entertainment, and Shellshock: Nam ’67, developed for Eidos Interactive. Both were released in 2004. Although reviews were mixed, Killzone benefited from extensive pre-release attention and sold more than one million copies worldwide. Guerrilla signed an exclusive PlayStation development agreement in March 2004, and Sony acquired the entire company in December 2005. After the acquisition, Guerrilla developed Killzone: Liberation for PlayStation Portable, followed by Killzone 2 and Killzone 3 for PlayStation 3. The series established the studio as a specialist in cinematic science-fiction shooters and provided a showcase for its proprietary technology and visual production capabilities. Co-founder Arjan Brussee left the company in 2012 to join Visceral Games. At E3 2015, Guerrilla introduced Horizon Zero Dawn, a new property set in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by mechanical animals. The game represented a major creative shift toward open-world action role-playing. It launched for PlayStation 4 in 2017, followed by The Frozen Wilds expansion later that year. The game was subsequently ported to Windows in 2020 and became one of the most commercially successful PlayStation 4 releases, with reported sales exceeding 10 million copies by 2019. Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel, was revealed in 2020 and released in February 2022 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The studio also worked with Firesprite on Horizon Call of the Mountain for PlayStation VR2 and released the Burning Shores expansion in 2023. Guerrilla’s Decima engine remains a defining part of its development technology and has been used by other studios, including Kojima Productions. The company expanded its Amsterdam operations during the late 2010s and moved into new facilities in 2020. Leadership changed in 2019 when Hulst left to lead Sony’s Worldwide Studios; Angie Smets, Jan-Bart van Beek, and Michiel van der Leeuw became joint studio heads. Further changes in 2023 appointed Jan-Bart van Beek, Joel Eschler, and Hella Schmidt as studio directors, while van der Leeuw focused on Decima. Guerrilla remains an active Sony-owned PlayStation Studios developer.

• 2023

  Leadership and technology responsibilities change

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  New studio directors are appointed while Michiel van der Leeuw concentrates on Decima’s continued development.

• 2022

  Horizon Forbidden West releases

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The sequel launches for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

• 2020

  Horizon Zero Dawn reaches PC

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The game launches for Windows on 7 August, extending the property to PC players.

• 2017

  Horizon Zero Dawn launches

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The first Horizon game releases on PlayStation 4.

• 2015

  Horizon Zero Dawn is unveiled

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Guerrilla presents its new open-world science-fiction role-playing property at E3.

• 2005

  Sony acquisition

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Sony Computer Entertainment acquires Guerrilla Games.

• 2004

  Killzone and Shellshock: Nam ’67 release

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The studio releases its first major console projects, including Killzone for PlayStation 2.

• 2003

  Renamed Guerrilla Games

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Media Republic acquires a majority stake, and Lost Boys Games changes its name to Guerrilla Games.

• 2001

  The studio becomes independent

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Lost Boys Games is spun off as an independent entity after the Lost Boys and IconMediaLab corporate merger.

• 2000

  Lost Boys Games is established

  [1]Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Orange Games, Digital Infinity, and Formula Game Development merge to form Lost Boys Games.

A premium first-party PlayStation developer focused on technically ambitious, cinematic action games, especially science-fiction worlds and large-scale narrative experiences.

• Video-game franchise · 2004

  Killzone

  Killzone is Guerrilla’s science-fiction military-shooter franchise. The original PlayStation 2 game launched in 2004, followed by Killzone: Liberation for PlayStation Portable and the numbered PlayStation 3 installments Killzone 2 and Killzone 3. The series is built around armed conflict between human factions in a dystopian future and helped establish Guerrilla as a major PlayStation first-party developer.

• Open-world action role-playing game · 2017

  Horizon Zero Dawn

  Horizon Zero Dawn follows Aloy, a young hunter exploring a future Earth where machine animals dominate the landscape and remnants of an earlier civilization shape the world’s mysteries. The PlayStation 4 release in 2017 marked Guerrilla’s move from linear science-fiction shooting into open-world role-playing. The Frozen Wilds expansion followed in 2017, and a Windows edition was released in 2020.

• Downloadable expansion · 2017

  The Frozen Wilds

  The Frozen Wilds is an expansion for Horizon Zero Dawn that adds a new northern region, story content, characters, quests, machines, and challenges. It extends Aloy’s journey while preserving the original game’s exploration, combat, crafting, and machine-hunting systems.

• Open-world action role-playing game · 2022

  Horizon Forbidden West

  Horizon Forbidden West continues Aloy’s story as she travels west in search of a solution to an ecological crisis. It expands the franchise with new environments, machines, traversal options, combat tools, and narrative systems. The game released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in February 2022.

• Downloadable expansion · 2023

  Burning Shores

  Burning Shores is an expansion to Horizon Forbidden West set in a new region south of the game’s main map. It adds a continuation of Aloy’s story, new exploration areas, characters, quests, and machines. The expansion was released for PlayStation 5 in April 2023.

• Virtual-reality action-adventure game · 2023

  Horizon Call of the Mountain

  Developed by Guerrilla in collaboration with Firesprite, Horizon Call of the Mountain adapts the Horizon setting for PlayStation VR2. It is designed around first-person virtual-reality exploration, climbing, combat, and encounters with the franchise’s machine creatures.

• Game engine

  Decima

  Decima is Guerrilla’s proprietary game engine and a core part of the studio’s technical infrastructure. It supports large environments, detailed characters, advanced rendering, and the systems required by the Killzone and Horizon games. The engine has also been used by external developers, including Kojima Productions for Death Stranding.

• 2023

  Reorganization of studio leadership and engine developmentStrategy

  Background

  Angie Smets moved to a PlayStation Studios strategy role, while Michiel van der Leeuw changed responsibilities.

  Action taken

  Jan-Bart van Beek, Joel Eschler, and Hella Schmidt became studio directors, and van der Leeuw focused on the continuing development of Decima.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement separated day-to-day studio leadership from the long-term stewardship of Guerrilla’s core engine technology.

  Source

• 2015

  Shift to the Horizon intellectual propertyProduct launch

  Background

  After several Killzone projects, Guerrilla sought to establish a new property with a different genre and setting.

  Action taken

  The studio unveiled Horizon Zero Dawn, an open-world action role-playing game featuring Aloy and a post-apocalyptic world of machine creatures.

  Aftermath

  Horizon became Guerrilla’s principal public franchise and broadened the studio’s creative and commercial profile.

  Source

• 2005

  Sony acquires Guerrilla GamesM&A

  Background

  Several companies reportedly showed interest in acquiring Guerrilla after the studio’s rising profile around Killzone.

  Action taken

  Sony Computer Entertainment purchased the entirety of Guerrilla Games in December 2005.

  Aftermath

  Guerrilla became part of Sony’s first-party development organization and continued making PlayStation titles.

  Source

• 2004

  Commitment to exclusive PlayStation developmentStrategy

  Background

  After the development of Killzone for Sony, Guerrilla entered a broader exclusive-development relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment.

  Action taken

  The studio committed future development to Sony’s PlayStation console family, including PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation 3.

  Aftermath

  The relationship preceded Sony’s acquisition of Guerrilla and established the studio as a first-party PlayStation developer.

  Source

1. 1Guerrilla Gamesen.wikipedia.org