If true here is my theory on it:
Many studios within SIE bulked up in the heatwave of hiring thinking gaming was reaching new heights of consumption. If these games have upgrade paths on both PS5 and Steam, they'll be better received and maybe more importantly they allowed Bend and Guerrilla to onboard new staff on existing tools rather than using Unreal Engine. There is at least some precedent here given TLOUP2 Remastered on PS5.
Sony also saw the potential for transmedia plans and built out PlayStation Productions. Part of the plan for Playstation Productions was a movie for Day's Gone and a tv show for Horizon.
Sony likely wanted remasters for these games because even though they're already on PC they weren't pitch perfect in their initial releases, especially Day's Gone. There are a whole new set of people who would be introduced to these games and they'd likely buy the best version of the games.
For people against Day's Gone getting remastered but asking for a sequel, this remaster is the most likely path for it to ever get a sequel. Horizon made more sense before the TV show was canceled, but nothing Sony can do about that.
With the increased cost of developing games, remasters simply make sense, especially if you can get people to upgrade their existing games. Horizon sold over 20 million copies. If you can get even 25% of these people to upgrade for 10 dollars, you can generate 50 million dollars... that can easily help fund a studio and doesn't even count new customers paying full price.
People dislike remasters because they think they'd be getting another game instead, but that's not true. They're largely manned by junior employees new to studios. They are high reward and low risk. If you don't want to buy them, don't buy them.
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