God Of War 2 Is Delayed - And We Couldn't Be Happier
It looks like the current bloom in hot weather hasn't managed to thaw God of War: Ragnarok in time for a 2021 release. The highly-anticipated sequel to 2018's God of War reboot is set to be one of the biggest PlayStation 5 exclusives yet, but with the writing already on the wall, Santa Monica Studio has swung its Leviathan axe and confirmed we won't be seeing Kratos and Atreus this year.
With the COVID-19 pandemic upending game releases across the board, God of War: Ragnarok follows in the footsteps of Cyberpunk 2077, Halo Infinite, and even Far Cry 6. Players had rightly clocked that Ragnarok was MIA from a new PlayStation 5 commercial AND sat out the recent State of Play. Even if you can't wait to jump back into the Norse mythology that God of War established, there's still a bit of a wait. Before you start throwing your DualSense controllers at the television, here's why God of War: Ragnarok being delayed could be a good thing.
Why is God of War: Ragnarok being delayed a positive?
Posting on Twitter, Santa Monica Studio shared a heartfelt message that confirmed God of War: Ragnarok will now release in 2022. With a mention of "safety and wellbeing of our team", it suggests that COVID-19 has (expectedly) played some part in the delay. At least the team has kept fans up to date and revealed why we won't be seeing the father and son duo in 2021.
In terms of positives, an interview with Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, confirmed Ragnarok will be coming to PlayStation 4. Speaking to the PlayStation Blog, Hulst explained, "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". Even if Ragnarok released in 2021, there were worries it could ditch its PS4 port in favour of being a wholly next-gen game.
Let's also remember the Cyberpunk situation. With CD Projekt Red continuously delaying the long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077, there was a general consensus that the developer simply released the game to get fans off its back. There were issues across the board, and as well as complaints CDPR oversold the graphical capabilities of the game, bugs ran rife. There have been court cases galore and the title was famously pulled from the PlayStation Store. At the time of writing, there's still a Cyberpunk 2077-shaped hole on the PS Store. Elsewhere, 343 Industries and Microsoft have faced similar difficulties with Halo Infinite, after the disastrous Xbox Games Showcase and the birth of the Craig the Brute meme.
What have fans said about God of War: Ragnarok being delayed?
Safe to say, opinions about God of War: Ragnarok being delayed have been divided. While there were plenty that agreed we should let it "cook" a bit longer, others slammed the statement as a "joke". Some criticised Santa Monica Studio, saying that everyone saw this coming and the announcement should've been made earlier. Thankfully, there's plenty to keep us occupied this year. As well as the recent release of Resident Evil Village selling nearly half its copies on PlayStation, there's the much-hyped release of Far Cry 6, and PlayStation-exclusive Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
It makes sense that SMS wants to take its time with Ragnarok - especially considering the acclaimed status of the first game. Making a move from the tried and tested scorched plains of Greece for 2018's God of War was a brave decision, but it was one that paid off in spades. Up there with The Last of Us and Marvel's Spider-Man, God of War is held as one of the best PlayStation exclusives of all time. Ragnarok has the potential to surpass the first game and cement itself as a truly great next-gen game while also keeping the current-gen console crowd happy.
While there are those who are rightly peeved at Ragnarok's extended release window, four years before games isn't really that long. Village came three years after Resident Evil 7, Horizon Zero Dawn also came out in 2017, and we're still waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6 some eight years after GTA V. God of War: Ragnarok being delayed is a small bump in the road, however, Sony is at a crucial point in terms of keeping its fanbase happy. Alongside the delay for Ragnarok, Hulst admitted the release of Horizon Forbidden West is "on track" for a holiday release. As long as Horizon hits its 2021 release and Ragnarok isn't too far into 2022, things should be okay. Here's hoping Kratos will be facing off against Thor sooner rather than later.
Images via Sony Interactive Entertainment | Apple