God of War Ragnarök
Untitled God of War sequel | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Santa Monica Studio |
Publisher(s) | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
Series | God of War |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 5 |
Release | 2021 |
Genre(s) | Action-adventure, hack and slash |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
The untitled God of War sequel is an action-adventure game currently in development by Santa Monica Studio and will be published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). It is scheduled to be released in 2021 for the PlayStation 5. It will be the ninth installment in the God of War series, the ninth chronologically, and the sequel to 2018's God of War. Loosely based on Norse mythology, the game will be set in ancient Norway and feature series protagonists Kratos and his young son Atreus. The game is expected to initiate Ragnarök, a series of events that bring about the end of days and depicts the deaths of the Norse gods, which was foretold to happen in the previous game after Kratos killed the Æsir god Baldur.
The untitled sequel has been recognized as one of 2021's most anticipated games.
Development
A sequel to 2018's God of War was teased at the end of that game, with it ending with the impending Ragnarök soon to happen, as well as a secret ending that showed a vision that the Æsir god Thor would confront Kratos and Atreus at the end of Fimbulwinter.[citation needed] Although he did not officially announce a new game at the time, game director Cory Barlog confirmed that the 2018 installment would not be Kratos' last game,[1] and it was later revealed that future games would continue to be set in the Norse environment and include Atreus.[2] In April 2019, a teaser came in the form of a PlayStation 4 dynamic background theme; the side of Kratos and Atreus' boat had runes that translated to "Ragnarök is coming."[3] During the PlayStation 5 Showcase event on September 16, 2020, a new God of War was officially announced for a 2021 release on the PlayStation 5.[4][5] The short teaser trailer did not officially reveal the name of the sequel, but just like the runes from the dynamic theme, the trailer stated that "Ragnarök is coming." This led some sources to believe the title of the game to be God of War: Ragnarök, though this has not been confirmed by Sony. The tagline implies that this will be the start of Ragnarök in the God of War universe, which in Norse mythology is a series of events that bring about the end of days and deaths of the Norse gods.[6][7]
When the game was first announced in September 2020, it was only announced as a PlayStation 5 (PS5) title. However, after Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) revealed their plans on supporting their previous console until at least 2022, speculation began on whether or not the new God of War would see a cross-gen release on the PlayStation 4 (PS4), as some other titles that were originally thought to be PlayStation 5 exclusives were also announced to release on PS4 (e.g., Horizon Forbidden West.[8]). In an interview with The Telegraph shortly after the newer platform's launch in November, SIE's President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Ryan was questioned on if the new God of War would be a PS5-exclusive; he replied that he had "nothing to say" at the time.[9][10][11]
Reception
At the 2020 Golden Joystick Awards, the game received the award for Most Wanted Game.[12][13] It was also a nominee for Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards 2020.[14][15][16] It then received the award for PlayStation.Blog's Most Anticipated Game.[17] Various media outlets have also included the untitled sequel on their respective lists for most anticipated games of 2021.[18][19][20][21][22]
References
- ^ Paget, Mat (June 21, 2016). "God of War PS4 Doesn't Include Multiplayer, Won't Be Kratos's Last Game". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- ^ Stead, Chris (April 8, 2018). "Sony confirms God of War 5 will also be set in Norse mythology". Finder. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ Avard, Alex (April 16, 2019). ""Ragnarok is coming": New God of War PS4 theme might be secretly teasing a sequel". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Jim (September 16, 2020). "PlayStation 5 launches in November, starting at $399 for PS5 Digital Edition and $499 for PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-Ray Disc Drive". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Kim, Matt T. M. (September 16, 2020). "God of War Ragnarok Announced for PS5". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ Watts, Steve (September 16, 2020). "God Of War 2: Ragnarok Announced At PS5 Event". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ Sheridan, Connor; Weber, Rachel (September 16, 2020). "God of War 2 is official, and it's called God of War: Ragnarok". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ Bonifacic, Igor (September 16, 2020). "'Horizon Forbidden West' is also coming to PS4". Engadget. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ Silver, Dan (November 17, 2020). "PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan: £70 is fair price for PS5 games and launch line-up is console's best ever". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Ruppert, Liana (November 17, 2020). "God Of War Ragnarok Could Be PS5-Only, No PS4". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Mercante, Alyssa (November 17, 2020). "God of War Ragnarok may not be PS5 exclusive". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Tyrer, Ben (November 24, 2020). "Every winner at the Golden Joystick Awards 2020". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ Jones, Ali (November 24, 2020). "God of War: Ragnarok is the Most Wanted Game at the Golden Joystick Awards". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (November 16, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020 Sets Twitter as Exclusive Voting Partner for One Category". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ The Game Awards [@thegameawards] (November 18, 2020). "The voting for Most Anticipated Game is open! Click the image below to vote now!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Stedman, Alex (December 10, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020: Complete Winners List". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Massongill, Justin (December 18, 2020). "PlayStation.Blog 2020 Game of the Year: The winners". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ GameSpot (December 28, 2020). 8 Most Anticipated Games of 2021. YouTube. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ Washington Post Staff (December 29, 2020). "The most anticipated games of 2021". The Washington Post. Fred Ryan. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ Beresford, Trilby (December 29, 2020). "10 of the Most Anticipated Video Games of 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Lynne Segall. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ Jones, Camden (December 28, 2020). "The Most Anticipated Games Of 2021". Screen Rant. Valnet, Inc. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ Casey, Henry T. (December 31, 2020). "The most anticipated games of 2021: PS5, Xbox Series X, PC and more". Tom's Guide. Future US. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
External links
- Upcoming video games scheduled for 2021
- Action-adventure games
- Family in fiction
- Hack and slash games
- God of War (franchise)
- PlayStation 5 games
- PlayStation 5-only games
- Single-player video games
- Sony Interactive Entertainment games
- Video game sequels
- Video games based on Norse mythology
- Video games developed in the United States
- Video games set in Norway
- Video games set in the Viking Age