Back in 2018, Sony Santa Monica returned to the series that defined them with the release of a brand new God of War. Although it chronologically follows the events of the first three mainline God of War games, the PS4 exclusive served as a reimagining of the series by transitioning between mythological eras and shifting the camera perspective in gameplay to directly behind Kratos to provide more up close and personal combat. The narrative focus also shifted from overwhelming themes of rage and revenge to a more reflective plot as Kratos and his new son Atreus travel across Midgard with the goal of giving a proper send-off to their recently-departed wife and mother respectively. The title released tonear universal acclaim, with many citing it as one of the best games of the past generation and a return to form for a series that was in desperate need of a modern overhaul.
With such a strong positive reception and several key story beats being teased towards the end, there was little doubt in fans’ minds that the game would ultimately receive a sequel, and we got confirmation of its existence at the end of a PS5 showcase this past September. Thebrief teaseroffers few hints towards the direction of Kratos and Atreus’ next adventure, as it features the simple phrase “Ragnarok is Coming” followed by a 2021 release window. With no additional details being shared since the teaser dropped and no word yet on when the next PS5 showcase may arrive, the speculation surrounding the sequel’s next story beats and gameplay evolutions have largely remained the same since players originally beat God of War back in 2018. Instead, much of the conversation so far has centered around the scope of the upcoming PS5 title with the given development time and a current lack of exclusives for the newly-released console.
While the sequel’s presence at a PS5-dedicated showcase all but confirms that the untitled game will release on Sony’s new hardware, questions still remain on whether or not the game will also release on PS4. Several other Sony first-party titles, includingSpider-Man: Miles Morales,Sackboy: A Big Adventureand the upcoming Horizon: Forbidden West haveall received or will receive PS4 and PS5 versions, leaving many to wonder if the new God of War will be among the first (along with Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart) to take full advantage of the brand-new hardware. Additionally, with the knowledge that the most recent God of War began its development in 2014, a 2021 release window has eager players theorizing that the follow-up may not be quite as long as the 2018 original. Much like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which were both ambitious but ultimately shorter games than the previous entries in their respective series, it would not be too surprising to see the newest God of War fall short of the 20-30 hours of gameplay of the last game, although this of course has no reflection on the sequel’s overall quality.
With these lingering questions still surrounding the highly-anticipated sequel and so few details regarding the content of the game itself, it will remain tough for Sony to drive home the more exciting features of the new God of War until fans know exactly which platforms to expect it on and about how long the game is shaping up to be. That’s not to say that a freshly-released trailer for the sequel wouldn’t garner hype and conversations on any given day, but these less thrilling but arguably more important questions have stuck alongside the game since its initial reveal, and will continue to do so until Sony decides to clear the air. Once the expectations of the enthusiastic fanbase have been set accordingly, then the God of War sequel can have the best chance at following in the footsteps of its beloved prequel.
