News on God of War: Ragnarok has been scarce since its reveal in 2020 and fans will have to wait longer than anticipated as the release date was delayed to 2022. However, it was announced that more players would now be able to get their hands on the game as it will now be available on PlayStation 4.
A PlayStation Blog Q&A with Herman Hulst, the head of PlayStation Studios, provided some new details on the anticipated release of the next God of War game. "So we have, currently, two very big, very narrative-driven games in development: Horizon Forbidden West and the next God of War," Hulst said. "And for both of those, they're frankly affected by access to performance capture and talent. For Horizon, we think we are on track to release this holiday season. But that isn't quite certain yet, and we're working as hard as we can to confirm that to you as soon as we can." He continued, "And for God of War, the project started a little later. So we've made the decision to push that game out to next year, to ensure that Santa Monica Studio can deliver the amazing God of War game that we all want to play."
The next entry in Kratos' journey was first teased during the PlayStation 5 showcase Sept. 2020. It was stated then that the game would release at an unspecified time in 2021, but announcements on the game have since been silent. By contrast, Horizon Forbidden West received a few more reveals in anticipation of its release, yet it similarly avoided a concrete release date. Hulst commented that they are committed to taking the required time to provide the quality expected by players.
"With these things, something's gotta give," Hulst said. "It cannot be the quality of our titles, and it surely won't be the health or the well-being of our amazing team."
Another contested issue surrounding the game was whether it would be a cross-gen title. While Horizon Forbidden West had long been announced for a PS4 launch, God of War: Ragnarok made no such declaration, though former game director David Jaffe stated the sequel would a release on both PS5 and PS4. However, within the Q&A, Hulst referenced that the PlayStation 4 was still a focus for the company.
"Where it makes sense to develop a title for both PS4 and PS5 -- for Horizon Forbidden West, the next God of War, GT7 -- we'll continue looking at that," Hulst said. "And if PS4 owners want to play that game, then they can. If they want to go on and play the PS5 version, that game will be there for them."
The game will be made more widely available as a result, but some PlayStation 5 owners have begun to voice disappointment in the lack of next-gen exclusives. While the cross-gen titles can see drastic visual and performance improvements, the limited technology of the PS4 can hold back these games from truly embracing what the PS5 can do.
Developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, God of War: Ragnarok will release in 2022 for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Source: PlayStation Blog