God of War Ragnarök
God of War Ragnarök | |
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Developer(s) | Santa Monica Studio |
Publisher(s) | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
Director(s) | Eric Williams |
Producer(s) | Cory Barlog |
Writer(s) | Matt Sophos |
Composer(s) | Bear McCreary |
Series | God of War |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 |
Release | 2022 |
Genre(s) | Action-adventure, hack and slash |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
God of War Ragnarök is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and will be published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). It is scheduled to be released in 2022 for the PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation 5 (PS5). 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 Scandinavia and feature series protagonists Kratos and his teenage son Atreus. Serving as the finale to the Norse era of the series, the game will cover 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.
In the months following the game's announcement in September 2020, many gaming journalists and websites regarded the sequel as one of their most anticipated games; the game won awards for Most Wanted Game and Most Anticipated Game from the 2020 Golden Joystick Awards and PlayStation.Blog awards, respectively. Originally slated for a 2021 release, the game was delayed in part due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on development, and also because of Kratos actor Christopher Judge's health problems in August 2019.
Premise
Taking place three years after events of the previous game, Fimbulwinter is drawing to a close, and it is prophesied that Ragnarök will begin once it comes to an end. A now teenaged Atreus, still reeling from the revelations of the previous game, seeks answers about his identity as Loki, as well as a way to prevent Ragnarök from happening. To uncover the truth, Kratos and Atreus set out to find answers, searching for the giant Norse God of War Týr, who was previously believed to be dead. Whilst traversing the nine realms, the duo must face new threats, including Thor, the enraged God of Thunder, and Freya, their former friend and ally, both seeking vengeance following the deaths of their respective sons by Kratos' hands.[1]
Development
A sequel to 2018's God of War was teased at the end of that game; it ended 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.[2] Although he did not officially announce a new game at the time, that game's director, Cory Barlog, confirmed that the 2018 installment would not be Kratos' last game,[3] and it was later revealed that future games would continue to be set in the Norse environment and include Atreus.[4] 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".[5] By the same time, in order to celebrate the first anniversary of the previous game's release, Barlog posted a thread of tweets on Twitter with pictures and a statement concerning the development process;[6] some fans deciphered that the first letter of each tweet spelled out "Ragnarök is coming".[7] 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 (PS5).[8][9] The short trailer, which had a voice over by Kratos voice actor Christopher Judge, did not officially reveal the name of the sequel, but just like the previous teasers, 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 at the time, this was not confirmed by Sony. The tagline implied that this would 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.[10][11]
When the game was first announced in September 2020, it was only announced as a PlayStation 5 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).[12] 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.[13][14][15] In June 2021, it was confirmed that the game would release on both the PS4 and PS5.[16]
By February 2021, neither Sony or the game's developer, Santa Monica Studio, had given any updates regarding the game's release, prompting Cory Barlog to tweet that the game would be out "when it's done".[17] In June 2021, head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst, stated that Sony had decided to delay the game until 2022 "to ensure that Santa Monica Studio can deliver the amazing God of War game that we all want to play."[16] Development was partly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,[18] as Hulst stated that there were issues getting access to performance capture and talent.[16] Santa Monica Studio issued a statement, saying that while they were focused on delivering a top-quality game, they also wanted to maintain the safety of those involved with the development.[19] The game's music composer, Bear McCreary, who also composed the music for the previous game, responded to the news of the delay, saying that it would be worth the wait.[20] In a series of tweets posted by Christopher Judge in late September, he said that he was also a reason that the game was delayed due to surgery he needed in August 2019. Judge said that Santa Monica Studio allowed him time to recover and waited for him to rehabilitate before continuing production. He also revealed that he had briefly quit the game after finding out that Eric Williams, not Cory Barlog, who instead served as producer, would be directing the sequel. Judge was uncertain about Williams; however, Barlog was able to convince Judge that Williams was fully capable of directing the sequel, which Judge affirmed after working with him.[21]
During Sony's May 2021 investment filing, they included a title treatment for the game which stated the title as God of War: Ragnarök,[22] although the investment filing was later changed to state only "God of War". A report found that the logo used in the filing was unofficial and fan-made.[23] Following this, various media outlets were uncertain of the legitimacy of the title of the game.[23][24][25] In a statement to IGN, a representative from Sony stated that the game's logo and title were not yet finalized or official, and that the inclusion of the false logo in the investment filing was an error.[23] The game's title was in fact confirmed as God of War Ragnarök (without a colon) on September 9, 2021, during the PlayStation Showcase event.[26]
During the 2021 PlayStation Showcase event, the game's first gameplay trailer was shown, featuring similar gameplay as the previous installment, while also showing that Kratos and Atreus would use a dog sled pulled by wolves to traverse across snowy terrain. It was also during this event that Eric Williams, who worked on every previous installment, was confirmed as the game's director, continuing the previous era's tradition of having a different director for each game. Williams revealed that Richard Schiff would voice Odin, the king of the Norse gods; Ryan Hurst as Thor; Ben Prendergast as Týr, the Norse God of War; Laya De Leon Hayes as Angrboða; and Usman Ally as Durlin. In addition to Christopher Judge returning as Kratos, it was confirmed that Sunny Suljic, Danielle Bisutti, and Alastair Duncan would be reprising their roles as Atreus, Freya, and Mímir, respectively, and Robert Craighead and Adam J. Harrington would reprise their respective roles as the Huldra Brothers, Brok and Sindri.[27] Unlike the popular portrayal of Thor by Chris Hemsworth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Thor in Ragnarök will look closer to his depiction in Norse mythology, having a hefty build with long red hair and beard.[28] It was also confirmed that Ragnarök would be the finale for the Norse era of the series and that all nine realms of Norse mythology could be explored; the previous game only allowed players access to six realms, with Asgard, Vanaheim, and Svartalfheim inaccessible.[29] After the premiere of the trailer, Alanah Pearce confirmed that she was part of the development team,[30] and SungWon Cho announced that he would be providing the voice and motion capture for Ratatoskr, and worked directly with the writers to write his scenes.[31]
Accolades
At the 2020 Golden Joystick Awards, the game received the award for Most Wanted Game.[32][33] It was also a nominee for Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards 2020[34][35] and is nominated for the same award at The Game Awards 2021.[36] It then received the award for PlayStation.Blog's Most Anticipated Game.[37] Various media outlets have also included the sequel on their respective lists for most anticipated games of 2021, prior to the game's delay to the following year.[38][39][40][41][42]
References
- ^ "First look at God of War Ragnarök". PlayStation.Blog. September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- ^ Hurley, Leon (November 20, 2020). "God of War ending - what does it mean? Spoiler Warning!". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Barlog, Cory [@corybarlog] (April 21, 2019). "Reminiscing about how crazy the last 6 yrs has been so I thought I would create a GOW BTS THREAD of photos + thoughts. Buckle up, gonna' be long.😁 It all started out as scribbles and notes on a board and a stack of note cards. Big board image is an early breakdown of the story" (Tweet). Retrieved April 27, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (June 9, 2019). "God of War Fans May Have Found Another 'Ragnarok Is Coming' Tease". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c Shuman, Sid (June 2, 2021). "Hermen Hulst Q&A: What's Next for PlayStation Studios". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Webb, Jack (February 26, 2021). "God of War Ragnarok will launch 'when it's done', says director". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Weber, Rachel. "God of War 2: Everything we know so far about Ragnarok on PS5". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 2, 2021). "Sony delays new God of War to 2022". Polygon. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ McCreary, Bear [@bearmccreary] (June 3, 2021). "Gonna be worth the wait" (Tweet). Retrieved June 4, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (September 30, 2021). "Kratos Voice Actor Christopher Judge Says He Is the Reason God of War: Ragnarok Was Delayed". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- ^ Grubb, Josh (May 26, 2021). "God of War: Ragnarok looks like the official name for God of War: Ragnarok". VentureBeat. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ a b c Bailey, Kat (May 27, 2021). "Sony Seemingly Leaks God of War: Ragnarok Title, Director Responds [Update: Sony Responds]". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Bayliss, Ben (May 27, 2021). "God of War: Ragnarok image removed from Sony's financial presentation". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Ramsey, Robert (May 27, 2021). "Sony Uses Fan-Made God of War Ragnarok Logo in Official Presentation, Fools Us All". Push Square. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Lima, Diego (September 9, 2021). "God of War Ragnarok: Primeiro trailer confirma título" [God of War Ragnarok: First trailer confirms title]. The Enemy (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- ^ "First look at 'God of War Ragnarök' shows a war with Asgard". Engadget. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (September 10, 2021). "In defence of God of War's Thor". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
- ^ Good, Owen S.; Carpenter, Nicole (September 9, 2021). "God of War Ragnarok is the finale in the Norse saga". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- ^ Pearce, Alanah [@Charalanahzard] (September 9, 2021). "This is my first ever Dev Team shirt and I am *very* proud. HAPPY GOD OF WAR: RAGNAROK TRAILER DAY, EVERYONE!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}
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timestamp mismatch; September 9, 2021 suggested (help) - ^ Cho, SungWon [@ProZD] (September 9, 2021). "I voice and provide the motion capture for Ratatoskr in GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK, and in addition, I was also hired by @SonySantaMonica to work directly with the writers to help write his scenes, thank you to everyone there for the opportunity" (Tweet). Retrieved September 10, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Game Awards Nominees: 'Deathloop,' 'Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart' Lead 2021 List". Deadline. November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ 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 2022
- Action-adventure games
- Family in fiction
- Hack and slash games
- God of War (franchise)
- PlayStation 4 games
- PlayStation 5 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 postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Video games set in Norway
- Video games set in the Viking Age