Laya’s Horizon is launching around April, but you’ll need to be a Netflix subscriber to play this upcoming new IP from the makers of Alto’s Adventure.
- What’s happening? Canadian publisher Snowman has announced its second Netflix game, Laya’s Horizon, which could be a sky take on Alto’s Adventure.
- Why care? Snowman is behind the Alto’s series of games emulating the ethereal atmosphere of snowboarding that have earned many industry accolades.
- What to do? You’ll need to subscribe to Netflix to play Laya’s Horizon.
Laya’s Horizon is a Netflix game from Alto’s makers
Snowman has teased the upcoming title with little information about it beyond saying that Laya’s Horizon is coming to iOS and Android devices everywhere on May 2, 2023, exclusively on Netflix.
The Canada-based company has shared the above trailer, revealing a lush environment and nice visuals it’s known for but nothing else. Laya’s Horizon could be a sky version of Alto’s Odyssey. The tagline promises that “a whole new world is just beyond the horizon,” so draw your own conclusions.
Before you hit me in the comments, I did ask Snowman if it could reveal some tidbits about the game. “While we’re not quite ready to share details about the game yet, we can say that it’s an entirely new IP and something we’ve been working on for a long time,” Snowman’s Ryan Cash told me via email.
For further information, visit layashorizon.com.
Can you play Laya’s Horizon without a Netflix subscription?
Of course, you must be a Netflix subscriber to download and play Laya’s Horizon. Netflix Games, launched in November 2021, is a service that allows you to download, install and play select games from the App Store without additional charge, but you need to be a paying customer.
It seems Snowman has big plans for Laya’s Horizon. Otherwise, why create an entirely new IP to limit its appeal to a one-off release on Netflix? On the other hand, this isn’t the first Netflix-only release from Snowman. In September 2022, the publisher released a vertical platformer called Lucky Luna, which hasn’t launched outside of Netflix.
One can at least imagine Snowman producing Laya’s horizon versions for other platforms after the Netflix exclusivity period expires. After all, that happened with Alto’s Adventure, its award-winning title. After debuting in 2015 as an iOS-exclusive title, the game and its sequels eventually expanded to all the major platforms, including Android, Windows, gaming consoles, etc.
These guys know how to create an addictive video game, so you should be keeping an eye on Lana’s Horizon if you have a Netflix subscription.