God of War: Ragnarok is coming, and you can expect it to land on PS5 consoles in 2021.
Sony dropped a teaser for the God of War sequel at the end of its PlayStation 5 showcase in September 2020, confirming what we all hoped for: a return of Kratos and his son.
Since this announcement, things have been very quiet around God of War: Ragnarok and there's still not much know about the game. At the very least, we know that it is coming, and it will be called Ragnarok – the name for a cataclysmic series of events in Norse mythology, which is fitting for a game where you're almost certainly going to be wreaking havoc and killing Norse gods. (Yes, it's also the name of a Marvel movie – and the name of a Netflix series. It's a cool word, ok?)
So, with that out of the way, we've gathered together all the news and rumors surrounding the God of War sequel for your consideration right here.
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God of War: Raganarok release date
We don't know a firm release date for the game, but we do know it's coming in 2021, if it isn't subject to delays.
The brief teaser released suggests that gameplay wasn't ready to be shown off on its announcement in late 2020, which makes us think that we're looking at late 2021 rather than early 2021 – and probably after Horizon Forbidden West, which we've had a much more substantial look at. Sony generally likes to stagger its exclusive games.
God of War: Raganarok trailer
The trailer dropped right at the end of Sony's live stream event in September, and shows off a brief logo and the words "Raganarok is coming".
pic.twitter.com/VvHuaCKgGnSeptember 16, 2020
God of War: Raganarok news and rumors
It’ll launch ‘when its done’, says creative director
Following the absence of an update on God of War 2 during PlayStation’s February 2021 State of Play, Santa Monica Studios Creative Director, Cory Barlog, appears to have posted a tweet in response to those asking for an update on the game.
I don't know who needs to hear this...(certainly not me since I have never heard of it)but...WHEN. IT'S. DONE.❤️(trust that it's what's best for everyone) pic.twitter.com/DVE6hQ9BVAFebruary 25, 2021
Reading “When it’s done it’s done”, Barlog’s tweet doesn’t directly mention God of War 2 but it seems likely that’s what he’s referring to. The game still has a fairly wide release window of 2021, but there have been rumors that it might be looking at a delay and this tweet doesn’t exactly clear them up. But, as Barlog says, “Trust that it’s what’s best for everyone.”
Is a delay on the cards?
God of War: Ragnarok still has a release window of 2021 but there have been rumors that the game might be subject to a delay.
Since the game’s reveal in September 2020, very little has been said about the God of War sequel and, as noted by GamesRadar, in recent interviews PlayStation boss Jim Ryan hasn’t been mentioning it at all, instead talking about Horizon Forbidden West which has a similar release window.
Industry insider Nebellion recently tweeted about the loud silence around the game and Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier responded with a suggestion that it’s unlikely we’ll see the game released in 2021. SIE Santa Monica hasn't officially announced a delay, though, so unless that happens we can still expect to see God of War 2 in 2021.
I've got a nice shiny bridge to sell anyone who thinks God of War is coming out this yearFebruary 23, 2021
A cross-gen release?
We know that God of War: Ragnarok is coming to PS5 but is there a chance it could launch on PS4 too? Developer David Jaffe – formerly an employee of the Santa Monica Studio – has made some interesting comments about the platform launch of 'God of War 2', during a game stream of the 2018 title. In the clip below, Jaffe states that "I'm sure the next God of War will be PS4, PS5. Of course it will," adding, "Jim Ryan has pretty much said as much."
Seems like #GodOfWarRagnarok will be cross-gen title after all!“I’m sure the next #GodofWar will be #PS4,#PS5. Of course it will” david jaffe says.W or L?🤔 pic.twitter.com/UJSsLRIWCuJanuary 6, 2021
It's worth noting that while Jaffe did work on a God of War game, but it was the original PS2 title, rather than the 2018 reboot, meaning he likely won't have been party to key discussions on the 2021 sequel. But if Ragnarok does release in 2021 as planned, it's still fairly early in the PS5's lifecycle so it's not impossible that a PS4 release could be deemed useful for reaching those who haven't moved on to the new generation of consoles. At the moment, it's a case of waiting for official word from Sony.
PS5 Showcase
God of War: Ragnarok was briefly teased at the end of the PS5 Showcase event on September 16 2020, where Sony also announced the price and release date of the next-gen PS5 console.
Cory Barlog also changed his Twitter header to a redacted latinate script – and his Twitter avatar to a picture of ice. It suggests we're moving further north, and into colder climes...
Job Listings
As spotted by GamesRadar, SIE Santa Monica Studio posted job listings last year for a number of roles across its programming, art, design, and tech art teams – with one listing clearly citing the God of War reboot.
Applicants for Senior Combat Designer "Must have knowledge of God of War (2018) and be able to speak in depth about the combat systems, mechanics and enemies".
A listing for Facial Blend Shape Character Artist also specifically mentions "next-gen videogame platform experience" for the role: something that should whittle down prospective applicants to relatively few animators, given that the next generation of consoles have yet to launch.
The waters were muddied slightly with a Senior Gameplay Animator posting, which asks for someone "to help us push the boundaries of action and combat movement and set the bar for gameplay feel on the PS4".
God of War PS4 theme
Back in April 2019, a new dynamic theme appeared on PS4 to celebrate the anniversary of the God of War reboot. The theme showed Kratos and Atreus rowing, however the theme contained a secret message (discovered by eagle-eyed God of War fans on Reddit).
The boat the pair are rowing in has runes etched on its side which translate (in English) to "Ragnarok is coming" – which we now know to be a pretty official slogan for the game.
No God of War DLC
God of War director Corey Barlog had said there were originally plans for DLC for the 2018 reboot, but said they were halted for being "too ambitious". That means the studio can invest resources into an entirely new game as opposed to post-launch content.
God of War (2018) PS5 update
To make the wait for God of War: Ragnarok a little easier, Sony Santa Monica have released a God of War PS5 update that boosts the game's resolution to a checkerboard 4K resolution while maintaining a 60fps target. Hopefully this means that Ragnarok will continue the pleasing trend of more PS5 games hitting 60fps, even if it means compromising or dropping the resolution slightly to achieve it.
God of War 2: what we want to see
[Warning: spoilers for the ending of God of War ahead.]
Exploring that ending further
At the end of God of War, we found out that Kratos' wife (and Atreus' mother) Faye was actually a Giant called Laufey. That means Atreus is half God and half Giant and, what's more, he has a different name altogether: Loki. You know Loki, the trickster of Norse mythology.
Hopefully God of War 2 will explore this further and we'll find out more about Faye's secret past, as well as why she kept it all a secret in the first place. We're also hoping Atreus will embrace the shape shifting abilities that Loki is notorious for instead of simply standing on the sidelines firing arrows at enemies.
Atreus isn't a boy anymore
The God of War sequel may continue on directly from the events of the previous game, however we think it would be more interesting to see how a teenage Atreus and grumpy dad Kratos fair on an adventure.
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