Sony and SIE Santa Monica finally provided an update on God of War Ragnarok yesterday, confirming release in November for PS4 and PS5. Its various editions, including the impressive Collector’s and Jotnar Editions, were also showcased with pre-orders going live on July 15th at 7 AM PT.
While a November release has reportedly been planned for some time, the timing may have some people concerned. As G4TV host Indiana “Frosk” Black tweeted, “I feel like God of War on a Nov. release date is because they want to hit the holiday quarter and, maybe, not because that’s a reasonable launch date. Hope there’s no crunch and everything is going according to plan!”
In response, producer Cory Barlog said, “I feel like we thought a lot about what date is best and chose the best date for the team, the game and the fans.” While this isn’t an outright denial of the current date capitalizing on the lucrative holiday season, Sony has been vocal in the past about prioritizing the health of the team. Following the first delay, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst said the publisher wouldn’t compromise the “quality of our titles” or “the health or the well-being of our amazing team.”
This was during the COVID-19 pandemic but one would assume it extends to things like crunch as well. Of course, SIE Santa Monica was also extremely supportive of actor Christopher Judge who had to get knee and back surgery along with hip replacements. Though this reportedly contributed to the delay, Judge said that the developer offered “nothing but love and support.” He added: “Studios are assholes, but this company from top to bottom, should give us hope.”
For now, though, things seem to be on track. God of War Ragnarok releases on November 9th for PS4 and PS5. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay in the coming months.