God Of War Ragnarok Is Already Breaking Records
We always knew God of War Ragnarok would be a giant of the gaming world, but little did we know, it would be bigger than Ryan Hurst's Thor. Despite only being out a matter of days, God of War Ragnarok is already breaking records for the franchise.
While the God of War name has become a Sony staple since its first outing in 2005, it was 2018's God of War soft reboot that revitalised the Ghost of Sparta with a new mythology to explore. The fact that Ragnarok is the end of our journey to the Nine Realms means everyone is jumping in to see how this chapter rounds off.
What Records Is God Of War Ragnarok Breaking?
Click to enlargeIn the United Kingdom, God of War Ragnarok has secured the franchise's biggest launch ever. Although God of War titles have a strong track record in the United Kingdom, it's an unprecedented success. Of the 12 GoW games released in the UK, four have hit the No. 1 spot on the sales charts. Impressively, the latest success is based on physical sales alone.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, Ragnarok is hacking away at records with its own Leviathan Axe. Looking at the bigger picture, Ragnarok sold more in just one day than any others did in an entire week. Discussing Ragnarok and 2018's God of War, chart firm GfK's Dorian Bloch explained, "It became the best-seller at that time in terms of week one sales and also lifetime sales for this franchise. In 2018, God of War ranked at No.5 by units and revenue on Sony formats."
"God of War Ragnarok will debut at No.1 and is the first cross-gen title in the series," says Bloch. "Day 1 physical sales were already greater than any other full-week launch sales for other titles in this franchise." He also confirmed that 55% of Ragnarok's sales came as part of the PS5 hardware bundle. The sales shouldn't be that surprising, especially considering that Ragnarok has the luxury of launching on PS4 and PS5, unlike 2018's game just having the PS4.
God Of War Ragnarok Is Also Soaring On Twitch
Over on Twitchtracker, it's been confirmed that God of War Ragnarok is also soaring in the streaming stakes. The game has had over 153K+ views in seven days, which is shocking when compared to Infinity Ward's Call of Duty Modern Warfare II having "just" 78.5K. Fans have apparently watched over 16 million hours of Ragnarok gameplay, and that doesn't include those leaks you probably sought out on YouTube.
In 2018, the only games bigger than God of War were FIFA 19, Red Dead Redemption 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and Marvel's Spider-Man. It's too early to predict which will be bigger than Ragnarok in 2022, but contenders include the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Also, remembering that 2022 largely belongs to Elden Ring, it's unclear whether Kratos can challenge Melania for Game of the Year.