The game was made by the Dutch developer Guerilla Games and was the biggest mediaproduction ever in the Netherlands with a budget of 47 million euros til the second part succeeded.
The main villain "HADES" is voiced by the author of the game.
The vantage point where the voice talks about his father lecturing in a building is actually the Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
When Aloy strives through the ruins of an unknown town, at one location the player can see the Pikes Peak Range Riders Memorial which identifies the ruins of the town as Colorado Springs. On a street ruin in the town there's also an almost rusted away Interstate I-25 sign to be found. Other locations in the game are The US Air Force Academy, Red Rock Amphi theater (Morrison, CO), Bryce Canyon National Park, Eagle Canyon, Lake Powell and Monument Valley.