Despite various rumors, it still came as a shock when Sony and Santa Monica Studios confirmed that a God of War sequel, commonly referred to as God of War Ragnarok, was in development for 2021. Naturally, the teaser only confirmed this and little more, but that in and of itself seems to be a big promise.
There’s little doubt that this announcement makes the sequel one of the most anticipated games of 2021, but one really has to question if it will, indeed, land next year. From the teaser, there’s little more than the logo, a release date of 2021 given, and the statement that “Ragnarok is coming.” With that being where fans are gleaming the subtitle from (as well as the runes on the logo), it’s not a lot to go on, not for a game releasing next year.
First, it’s worth looking at the development of the original PS4 game. God of War was revealed at E3 2016 and released in April 2018, creating a span of about 22 months from reveal to release. Obviously, if the God of War sequel on the PS5 is coming in 2021, that’s a lot less; however, development is a complicated process. There’s one benefit as a result of this but also a major red flag. First off, this teaser just confirms the development of God of War Ragnarok, not when it really started. Odds are, Santa Monica has already been working on this for a while, perhaps even as soon as development on the last game ended, and it’s possible that all the issues of 2020 just saw the teaser come later.
On the other hand, 2020 has been a hard year for game developers, and many games have seen their fair share of delays as a result. Working on big AAA game during the pandemic is no easy feat, and that’s likely slowed a the process a lot. For God of War to land in 2021, it would have likely been a lot further along than many expect. Those expectations should be molded by what is known, though, and that’s very little. Again, a proper title and name hasn’t even been revealed, there’s only been the tease of a story, and gameplay is zilch. Some games go from a reveal to a release in 6 months, that could be the case here, but when considering all the factors, it just doesn’t seem that enough of God of War Ragnarok has been shown to bet on a 2021 release date. This comes despite the teaser trailer making this “promise.”
There is also one piece of information suggesting a God of War Ragnarok delay may have already happened, or at the very least, is on the table. Back in November, Sony released a PS5 trailer that indicated the release window of a lot of its first-party titles, including everything from Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart to Horizon Forbidden West. Noticeably missing is the God of War game, which was only announced 2 months prior. Of course, it’s possible that the trailer was just set and ready to go before then, and there’s no hard evidence that a delay is happening. There’s a lot stacked against it, though.
For many, God of War is near and dear, and a 2021 release date is a big promise—one that makes sense when looking at the big picture. Getting down in the nitty gritty brings up a lot of the questions posed here, though. For now, fans can only wait for the next update from Sony and Santa Monica, which at the very least should come in 2021. Perhaps God of War does a quick marketing campaign (not that a lot is needed to sell the game, after all) that sees the game release at the end of next year, but at the same time, perhaps the sequel needs a little more time in the oven.
Expectation and anticipation for the game is high, but it’s important that everyone invested in the game keeps their expectations in check. The very confirmation that the God of War Ragnarok sequel does exist is enough for now, and its next outing will help determine what is or isn’t truly promised.
The God of War sequel is in development with a release date slated for 2021.
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