God Of War Ragnarok Is Apparently Causing Devs To Move Their Games
If you're a developer and plan on releasing a game between now and the end of 2022, chances are, you're quaking in your boots right now. A little title you might've heard of is muscling its way onto the scene, as God of War Ragnarok makes it stake for Game of the Year.
Although we're still feeling the after-effects of the pandemic and have seen plenty of AAA games slip into next year, 2022 has still been massive for gaming. From underrated gems like Horizon Forbidden West to the goliath that was Elden Ring, we still have a lot to come thanks to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and God of War Ragnarok. Apparently though, the latter is forcing others to change tack.
Why Is God Of War Ragnarok Forcing Other Games To Move?
According to Kinda Funny's Tim Gettys, publishers are "scared" by God of War Ragnarok. He claims he's had business calls with people who claim developers are pulling out of things because they're in Ragnarok's way. He went on to describe Ragnarok as "a game to its own in terms of hype." Although he didn't expand on who has been waving the white flag of surrender in front of Ragnarok, the general feeling is that the Ghost of Sparta's legend is still ringing through the industry.
Looking around the confirmed God of War Ragnarok release date of November 9, we've got Gotham Knights and the aforementioned Modern Warfare 2 releasing weeks before, while Ubisoft has (weirdly) moved Skull & Bones to just one day before on November 8. Forspoken has shifted into 2023, Hogwarts Legacy is yet to give us a concrete release date, and neither is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
We don't want to give Kratos too much of an inflated ego, because it's hard to imagine a goliath like Nintendo moving The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 into 2023 because of Ragnarok. It's possible that any game due to release in the same week as Ragnarok has quickly tucked tail and bowed out of the competition gracefully, but apart from that, the swathe of delays are likely because devs want to make sure they can deliver the best title they can.
Will God Of War Ragnarok Take Game Of The Year?
Click to enlargeThe great debate is sure to rage on about whether Kratos' last entry in Norse mythology will sit on its throne at the gates of Valhalla. It's true that 2018's God of War reboot became a god of sales in itself and is held by some as one of the best video games of all time. However, a lot has changed since then. In 2022, Elden Ring sliced its way onto the scene as arguably the best FromSoftware has given us. Although the hype has died down, there's still a loyal army of Tarnished ready to fight the Souls-like's corner.
Let's also remember that Infinity Ward is throwing the might of the CoDverse behind Modern Warfare 2. Call of Duty games have been the best-selling titles for years, and even weaker entries like 2021's Vanguard brought in a runaway train of money for Activision. Modern Warfare 2 is tipped to be a return to form that will secure the future of the franchise, but we'll have to wait and see. Basically, instead of trying to pitch these games against each other, we should be celebrating their successes and enjoying them as the devs intended.