Sony Santa Monica’s upcomingGod of War: Ragnaroksequel is one of the most anticipated games currently, and for good reason. The team delivered a great reboot of the long-running franchise, with an ending that instantly makesGod of Warfans clamor to see what’s up next.
Santa Monica recently revealed thatthe game has been delayed to 2022, which fans have well in the hopes that it will ensure a better game. While fans don’t have much information on the matter, including the name of the game itself, they did get an excited surprise when it comes to the 2018 game.God of Warrecently became playable on PC via PlayStation Now, and while this might not seem like much at first, closer inspection can reveal a number of interesting insights about the current state of development at Sony Santa Monica.
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God of War: Hype And Anticipation
Sony has recently established a new pattern for building hype and anticipation for its biggest titles, with games likeHorizon Zero DawnandDeath Strandingreceiving PC portsto entice greater audiences to buy into the console manufacturer’s future entries. Kojima Productions’Death Strandingand Guerilla Games’Horizon Zero Dawnwere both released for the PC platform in 2020, which opened both games to a wider audience and built even more hype and anticipation for what’s in store for the future.
Guerilla Games and Kojima Productions both recently unveiledthe first proper look atHorizon Forbidden WestandDeath Stranding: Director’s Cutrespectively, which are obviously exclusive to PlayStation platforms. The originally speculated time gap between releases on other platforms and subsequent sequels is more or less around a year, althoughForbidden Westhas reportedly been delayed to 2022 due to the pandemic.
This trend does definitely makes sense for theGod of War: Ragnaroksequel, asGod of War2018 joined the PlayStation Now libraryfollowing the announcement of the next game’s delay to 2022. Of course, playingGod of Waron PC isn’t as effortless as traditional games on the platform since performance is completely dependent on network quality and geographical location. But the sentiment holds nevertheless, and PC players seem to be quite elated about finally getting a chance to experience the game.
Allowing players on PC to experience whatGod of Warhas to offer will inevitably entice them to buy a shiny new PS5 in anticipation of the sequel. Keeping in mind previous trends, it opens the door for speculation on the matter of potential release window, and theGod of War: Ragnaroksequel could occupy the April 2022 release window in the vein of its predecessor. Of course, that means games likeGran Turismo 7and other first-party releases for the year will have to occupy release dates that aren’t traditional for Sony.
Backing the sentiment is another rumor that has been doing the rounds about aGod of War Ragnaroktrailer set to premiere this month. This would make sense sinceHorizon Forbidden Westwill probably be hit with a delay, as Sony can reveal another high profile exclusive at the next State of Play to compensate forHorizon Forbidden Westmoving to 2022.
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God of War: Ragnarok In 2021 Was Optimistic At Best
While the delay may have come as a surprise to some, it wasn’t so to most fans. A number of rumors and alleged leaks had been doing the rounds prior to the delay announcement, and it’s claimed that Sony Santa Monica had internally delayed the release date to 2022 quite a bit before the announcement as well. Of course, this all makes sense given thescale of theGod of War: Ragnaroksequel.
God of War 2018started development way back in 2014, which took so much time due to the radical shift in tone and gameplay.God of War: Ragnarokdoesn’t have to do the grueling groundwork that the studio had to do with the original, but a three-year development cycle still seems optimistic at best. Furthermore, add to the factthe COVID-19 pandemic- and the delay makes complete sense.
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God of War: A Possibility For A Full-Fledged PC Release
God of War: Ragnaroknever had a release date, and still has a very vague one at best, the year 2022. Thus, the delay isn’t surprising, and the inclusion in PS Now’s library seems to be right on point for building more hype and anticipation for the game. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact thatGod of Waris essentially still exclusive to PS4, and PC players still needa DualShock 4 controllerto enjoy the game.
That being said, fans might just be in for a treat later this year. PlayStation has become increasingly accepting towards PC releases of its games, andstorefronts like Epic Games Store are also similarly keenon doling out copious amounts of money for these ports. PlayStation recently acquired Nixxes, a studio known for developing PC releases. Sony also confirmed the purpose of the studio is to bring more experiences to PC.
Another previous leak from Sony’s internal strategy seems to back this sentiment in a strong manner, and games likeUncharted 4have seemingly been confirmedto be arriving on the PC platform sooner than later. In a similar vein, it’s entirely possible thatGod of Warmay also be coming sooner, possibly later this year. However, this is also long-sighted speculation, albeit with a few supporting factors nevertheless.
God of War: Ragnarokhas a lot to live up to, and it makes complete sense to give developers all the required time in the world to achieve that goal. The original had a number of great ideas, including its famous one-take for the entirety of the campaign, and it’d certainly be interesting to witness how Sony Santa Monica takes it a step further. Hopefully, fans get to have yet another breathtaking experience in theGod of Warfranchise, and it could possibly come early next year.
God of War:Ragnaroksequel is currently slated to release in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.
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