As the last game in the series’ Norse saga, God of War: Ragnarok is, of course, going to cap things off with the titular wold-ending event- but before that, Kratos and Atreus will be dealing with the harsh cold of Fimbulwinter during which they attempt to prevent Ragnarok. In the game’s recent trailer, we saw some of the effects Fimbulwinter has had on the world, with the Lake of Nine in Midgard, for instance, being completely frozen over. That said, you shouldn’t expect each of the nine realms in the game to be frozen like Midgard.
Speaking with IGN in a recent interview, creative director Eric Williams said that each realm in God of War: Ragnarok will be effected by Fimbulwinter in different ways, and that the reason Midgard is completely blanketed in ice is because it is “the cataclysmic epicenter” of Fimbulwinter.
“Going to all the Nine Realms, that was big for me making the old new again,” Williams said. “Any realm you’ve been to before, because Fimbulwinter has struck, they’re changed in some way. It doesn’t mean that every realm is effected by snow, by the way. I think that’s a misnomer… Fimbulwinter is an event that changes the realms in different ways. Midgard is the cataclysmic epicenter, so it got permafrost, almost if you will.”
In this same interview, Willaims also spoke about how combat has been expanded in God of War: Ragnarok. It’s also been confirmed that the game will be single, unbroken camera shot, just like God of War (2018).
God of War: Ragnarok will launch for PS5 and PS4 some time in 2022.