Santa Monica's silence on the state of God of War Ragnarök has sparked concern over its much-anticipated 2022 release, leading some to speculate that it could be delayed to 2023. Although there's not been an announcement about any further delays into 2023 yet, many are questioning if God of War Ragnarök's 2022 release will end up staying that way. Given many of the current signs, it's adding up to look like the game will receive another delay, but there's still a chance it'll launch sometime this year.
If God of War Ragnarök receives a delay, it wouldn't be the first time, as the game was initially planned to launch in 2021 but got pushed back to 2022. When Sony Santa Monica first made its public delay announcement back in 2021, it came as no surprise because the pandemic brought in a plethora of development difficulties for many games studios. Indeed, a lot of major video games got delayed until 2022 last year. However, some signs are beginning to pop up that indicate the game may receive another delay, as Sony is yet to reveal any significant details surrounding the sequel bar the initial announcement and a follow-up trailer released in 2021.
There are multiple signs that indicate God of War Ragnarök is getting a further delay into 2023. There was no State of Play showcase, Santa Monica and PlayStation are particularly silent on the subject, other AAA titles have already been delayed to 2023 - like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's sequel - and the arrival of fresh competition in the form of Elden Ring. The hope for many fans is still that the game will launch on its planned date for this year, allowing players to finally dive into the continued story featured in God of War Ragnarök's trailer. Nonetheless, fans should probably start preparing themselves for another delay announcement, given the relative silence regarding the state of the game since its last showing.
Signs That Point Toward A God Of War Ragnarök 2023 Delay
God of War Ragnarök not having any gameplay on display at the March 10, 2022 State of Play was a huge letdown. As the biggest PlayStation exclusive set to launch this year, God of War Ragnarök should've stolen the show, although there were other big AAA titles that looked ambitious. This silence alone - more than any other factor - indicates that a 2023 delay might be on the horizon, as games tend to wind up their marketing the closer they get to release. Hogwarts Legacy's character gameplay and showcase provided solid evidence that the game would launch in late 2022, unlike God of War Ragnarök, which is yet to have a significant showing in 2022. The State of Play would've been the perfect time for Ragnarök to show everyone how close it was to finished, especially since the first trailer launched back in 2021.
Aside from State of Play, God of War Ragnarök game developers also haven't updated the public on specific details related to the game's progression. Much like the State of Play silence, this lack of communication seems to indicate that the game may not be close to meeting its anticipated release window. Despite the silence, an insider indicated in early 2022 that God of War Ragnarök's release is still set to happen this year. However, the longer Sony Santa Monica remains silent, the more it gives rise to the idea that the game is unlikely to release in 2022.
While there are still some big AAA titles set to launch this year - like Starfield, Forsaken, and Hogwarts Legacy - others have gone ahead and announced a delay to 2023. The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is the most-anticipated Nintendo title to go ahead and push its release date into 2023 despite saying 2022 looked to be the year it was going to launch. Some believe BOTW 2's delay could be a good thing, but it also begs the question about God of War Ragnarök following a similar path. While there's no answer as to why Nintendo decided to delay its most beloved franchise another year, Elden Ring's triumphant success might have something to do with it. If Santa Monica follows suit with Nintendo's decision to delay, it might have to do with the same reasoning.
Elden Ring won the most anticipated game of the year two years running at The Game Awards ceremony, and its successful launch has vindicated those honors. Elden Ring's critical acclaim and ability to resonate beyond the core Soulslike audience may indicate that it's going to overshadow other praiseworthy video games that deserve accolades this year, as was arguably the case with Horizon Forbidden West. It wouldn't be far-fetched to believe God of War Ragnarök is avoiding the problem of being put in the shadow from Elden Ring, just as BOTW 2 might be doing. In other words, Santa Monica might want a better chance for its game to win a Game of The Year Award, or at least not be compared to Elden Ring, which means that a 2023 delay could be worth it for the studio's ambitions.
A 2022 God of War Ragnarök Release Is Still Possible
Currently, Sony Santa Monica's Twitter account says God of War Ragnarök is "coming to PS5/PS4 in 2022", which would indicate - at least for the time being - that Ragnarök is still set to launch this year. That gives just cause for optimism that it will meet its 2022 release. Furthermore, the silence of God of War Ragnarök's developers could be a strategic one because a big announcement may be on the brink of happening. This would make sense if the studio didn't want to spoil content and keep it as fresh as possible.
For the time being, God of War Ragnarök is still set to come out this year - most likely toward the final final financial quarter. However, more recent developments and Santa Monica's silence on the subject make it look like the game will get pushed back to 2023, along with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. Until more developments come forth, players can get prepared for God of War Ragnarök by playing the newest PC edition of 2018's God of War, which released earlier this year.
Source: Sony Santa Monica/Twitter