Horizon 3 was supposed to have a much bigger role for Lance Reddick

It’s been just over a month since the tragic passing of Lance Reddick, with his final acting appearances being the concierge Charon in John Wick: Chapter 4 and most recently Sylens in Horizon: Forbidden West.

Lance Reddick passed away peacefully on the 17th of March 2023 at the age of 60, due to heart disease.

Following the release of the new Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC, it’s speculated that Reddick’s character Sylens was planned to have a major role in Horizon 3, prior to his passing.

The second instalment in the Horizon series, Horizon: Forbidden West, made it clear that a third game is planned to continue the story, with the Burning Shores DLC acting as a precursor for what’s to come.

Lance Reddick’s character Sylens regularly appears throughout Burning Shore’s story missions, due to Reddick recording his performance prior to his death. His inclusion in the events of Burning Shores indicates that he was initially set to take a more prominent role in the story going forward, something that can unfortunately no longer happen.

Reddick was no stranger to video game performances. Aside from Sylen in the Horizon games, he provided his iconic voice for the Titan Vanguard, Commander Zavala, in Bungie’s Destiny 2. Fans of both the Horizon and Destiny series were deeply saddened by Reddick’s passing, paying both real-life and in-game tributes to the actor.

Bungie and Horizon’s developer Guerrilla Games also paid heartfelt tributes to Reddick, thanking him for his talented performance in their respective games. Bungie in particular promised there are more “performances yet to come” for Reddick’s Commander Zavala.

Horizon 3 is yet to be officially announced by Guerrilla Games, so it’s unclear how the story will need to be altered to account for Sylen's absence. One thing is certain though, Lance Reddick’s contribution to the PlayStation-exclusive exclusive series will be greatly missed.