God of War: Ragnarok is heading to PS5 and PS4 in 2022, and after much speculation and anticipation, we're finally starting to learn more about the game.
For a while after the game's announcement back in September 2020, there’s was very little official news or firm details about what we could expect from God of War: Ragnarok, other than a confirmation that the game's release window had shifted from 2021 to 2022.
That's all changed, however, as we now have a more firm idea of what Kratos and Atreus will be facing in their upcoming adventure, which will conclude the Norse saga begun in 2018's God of War.
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God of War: Ragnarok: what you need to know
- What is it? The sequel to the critically-acclaimed God of War (2018)
- When can I play it? 2022
- What can I play it on? PS5 and PS4
God of War: Ragnarok release date
God of War: Ragnarok is due to release in 2022 on PS5 and PS4, following a delay from its initial 2021 release window.
There was already speculation that Ragnarok could be delayed, given that Sony hadn't mentioned the sequel in its plans for 2021 since the game's announcement. Sony Santa Monica Studio confirmed the delay in June 2021, releasing a statement on Twitter.
We had hoped the PlayStation Showcase 2021 would give us a more concrete date, but we weren't so fortunate.
pic.twitter.com/LLXnEof2LgJune 2, 2021
God of War: Ragnarok trailer
We finally got a proper trailer for God of War: Ragnarok at the PlayStation Showcase 2021 that gave us gameplay and cinematic footage of what we'll be faced with when it releases. The combat looks just as devastatingly violent as we'd expect, and the new announcement also confirmed that we will indeed be facing Ragnarok – a series of events and catastrophes that ultimately lead to the end of the world according to Norse mythology.
Previously we had been shown a brief teaser for God of War: Ragnarok right at the end of Sony's live stream event in September 2020. All it showed was a brief logo and the words "Ragnarok is coming".
pic.twitter.com/VvHuaCKgGnSeptember 16, 2020
God of War: Ragnarok news and rumors
Concluding the Norse saga
Santa Monica Studios creative director, Cory Barlog, has confirmed in an interview that Ragnarok will conclude the Norse storyline that started with 2018’s God of War on PS4. Barlog explained that the main reasons to conclude the Norse saga in God of War: Ragnarok was because of the long development time involved in making a modern God of War game. Between the five years taken to develop 2018's God of War and the four that will be spent on Ragnarok, the studio would rather the Norse storyline didn't run over nearly 15 years through a third game, as it’ll be “too stretched out.”
"Expressive choice" through new shields
The game will bring Kratos and players enjoy a little more variety when it comes to the shields that can be used, according to director, Eric Williams, in an interview with God of War YouTuber Jon Ford.
When Ford pointed out that in the most recent trailer there are moments where it looks like Kratos’ Guardian Shield has a different design and Kratos is using it in different ways, Williams said this was true and that while he didn’t “want to go too deep on it”, the game will have “different shields, and they have different defensive options and abilities.“
The reason for this, William explained, is because he and the team at Santa Monica Studio “really want to open up expressive choice to the way that you build your Kratos, like the equipment and loadout and things like that."
This, Williams added, goes “all the way down to the defense, so you can kind of play a little differently and enemies know how to respond to that, or force you into these different situations where you need to use different things. I think it’ll be fun for players to explore that but also we want it to be more expressive, you know, your choices matter when you set him up.”
Rumors of a PC port
Could we see God of War Ragnarok come to PC as well as PlayStation consoles? Following the recent revelation of the 2018 God of War port, there is a tentative rumor that its sequel could get a similar treatment. A clue came by way of LinkedIn via GameRant, which picked up on a Twitter user who spotted the profile of a Senior Programmer at Jetpack Interactive, Warren Lee, who has a project listed as ‘God of War Ragnarok’.
So what do you make of this? pic.twitter.com/a6WIdYL5GoOctober 25, 2021
It’s worth noting this could have been in error; Lee could have accidentally added the ‘Ragnarok’ bit while he in actual fact he might be working on God of War PC right now. Jetpack is the third-party dev in charge of the current God of War port, with Sony’s Santa Monica Studio in the role of overseeing the project, rather than actually doing the port. With that in mind, we feel there’s a possibility this could be a mistake.
However, with God of War finally getting a port, it does make sense that Ragnarok could get the same treatment. The caveat is, of course, that this would likely happen eventually, way down the line, rather than early in Ragnarok’s life. God of War was, after all, released for the PS4 in 2018, so it’s taken quite some time for the port to come about.
God of War was at the PlayStation Showcase in September 2021
After days of speculation, we got new God of War details at the PlayStation Showcase that took place on September 9, 2021. We didn't get a release date but we did finally get an official name – God of War: Ragnarok as expected – as well as a new trailer which you can watch above.
After the event, Cory Barlog – the director of God of War on the PS4 – put out a wholesome response on Twitter including a tongue-in-cheek response to the name reveal.
uh…so I just finished watching the PlayStation showcase…❤️ @SonySantaMonica pic.twitter.com/OoCeWjKMKNSeptember 9, 2021
PS4 to PS5 upgrade fee
After the player outrage surrounding the confusing upgrade process for Horizon Forbidden West, Sony issued a statement detailing how it will allow players to upgrade from the PS4 version to the PS5 version of future titles.
It specifically named checked God of War and said that you'll need to pay a $10 digital fee to get the enhanced PS5 version of the game if you already own the PS4 version. Most likely this means God of War: Ragnarok will continue Sony's trend of $70 PS5 games, however, we hope things change by the time the game actually releases.
It’ll launch ‘when its done’, says creative director
Following the absence of an update on God of War: Ragnarok 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: Ragnarok 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.”
Coming to PS4 too
PlayStation Studios boss Herman Hulst seems to have confirmed that God of War will be coming to PS4. In a PlayStation Blog post, when asked about how PS4 factors into PlayStation Studios' vision, Hulst said:
"Where it makes sense to develop a title for both PS4 and PS5 — for Horizon Forbidden West, the next God of War, GT7 — we’ll continue looking at that. And if PS4 owners want to play that game, then they can. If they want to go on and play the PS5 version, that game will be there for them."
Previously God of War: Ragnarok was only confirmed to release on PS5.
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: Ragnarok: 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: Ragnarok 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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