A new dawn: How Guerrilla transitioned from Killzone to Horizon

Noclip, the crowdfunded video game documentary maker, has uploaded an hour-long doc that details how and why Guerrilla Games left the world of shooters behind to create one of the most acclaimed open world titles in recent memory. 

It's interesting to see how the Dutch studio slowly but deliberately transitioned towards Horizon Zero Dawn, which is basically the anti-Killzone -- a lush, naturalistic open world title teeming with vibrancy and life. 

The entire film is well worth a watch, particularly because it delves into the processes and creative decisions behind Horizon Zero Dawn. For instance, it reveals how the Guerilla team focused on organic iteration and growth, creating small playable instances at the start of production so they could feel their way through the process and build out.

"With Horizon, when we started we created small playable experiences that allowed us to create these moments, these encounters with the machines, through nature with a female character. Everything didn't look like it looks today when the game ships, but at least you could see the potential," explains game director Mathijs de Jonge.

"By playing those over and over, and by adjusting things, you also learn quite a lot. You learn about the density, you learn about the pacing, the positioning and landscaping - just from playing your own prototypes. That's an approach that I personally really like."

You can hear more from de Jonge and the rest of the Guerrilla team by watching the full documentary, which also happens to feature plenty of tasty behind-the-scenes footage. Check it out.