Horizon Zero Dawn Predicted To Sell 8 Million Units, Close To Uncharted 4

Sony's next big PlayStation 4 exclusive, Horizon Zero Dawn, launches next week. Now, a new report from SuperData claims the game--which is a brand-new franchise--may sell millions of copies this year and go on to become a hit on the level or close to Uncharted 4 and Metal Gear Solid V.

Horizon Zero Dawn will shift as many as 6 million copies by the end of 2017, SuperData said. Total sales could reach 8 million units, which would put it close to the most recent Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid games.

In its report, SuperData CEO Joost van Dreunen cited Horizon Zero Dawn's strong review scores from critics as an element that could help boost sales.

He added that Horizon Zero Dawn's release comes at a "key moment" for Sony, in part because hardware sales have started to slow down, leading to a greater reliance on software sales. Sony's latest earnings report showed that PS4 sales have increased year-over-year, but recent NPD data showed that overall hardware dollar sales in the US have fallen.

Finally, Dreunen said in the report that, helped by strong reviews, Horizon Zero Dawn may encourage newcomers to buy a PS4. Sony has sold around 54 million PS4s, while SuperData estimates that Microsoft's Xbox One has shifted 26 million. "The release of the game as a platform exclusive suggests that this gap will only widen as consumers flock to play Horizon Zero Dawn," he said.

Horizon Zero Dawn launches on February 28 in North America and March 1 in Europe. GameSpot's review scored it a 9/10. The game was created by Killzone studio Guerrilla Games.

In addition to strong review scores, a major marketing campaign may help Horizon Zero Dawn sell well. If you've turned on ESPN in the past week, you've surely seen an ad for the game. Ads are all over the internet, too.

In other news, Sony recently talked about how Horizon Zero Dawn has the potential to become a new franchise for the company. Additionally, Sony believes main character Aloy, who is inspired by the Game of Thrones character Ygritte, could become a "PlayStation icon of the future."

For more on Horizon Zero Dawn, read all of GameSpot's previous stories and watch every video here.