God of War's New Game SHOULDN'T Come Out In 2021 | Screen Rant
It’s only been two years since God of War (2018) debuted, but it’s already been announced that the long-running franchise is getting another installment. While God of War fans have been reveling in the news – and guessing online what might be included in the highly anticipated sequel – there may be reason to pause the celebrations. Although it may feel like a long time since the game's launch, there's a chance Sony could be rushing the title to get more exclusives available on PS5 earlier, which could be detrimental to its overall quality.
The PlayStation 5 Showcase ended on an exciting note, when Sony revealed that the God of War franchise is getting another sequel in 2021. While the teaser trailer for the next God of War game didn’t provide any samples of the game’s graphics and it certainly lacked in detail, it did provide a few key hints at what’s to come. “The time draws near. You must prepare yourself,” Kratos can be heard saying in the background, likely to his son Atreus. Even more telling, the trailer closes with the words “Ragnarök is coming” and “2021,” implying more information is bound to come soon.
2018’s God of War heavily implied that future installments would explore the events of Ragnarök, and the ending specifically held a lot of clues as to where the adventures of Kratos and Atreus could go next. But while the anticipation has been high for the next game ever since the 2018 title released, it may not be working in the franchise’s favor if the developers feel rushed to get the final result out ASAP.
2018’s God of War was a huge game. It contains a massive open world that can be explored during or after the main story campaign, providing players with hours upon hours of gameplay opportunities. The map itself is visually stunning and extensive, with many side missions to finish and intriguing characters to meet. It takes time to create an environment so large and interactive, and there’s reason to fear that a three-year gap between God of War 2018 and God of War: Ragnarok (or whatever it ends up being called) may not be enough time for the sequel to match up to its predecessor.
Granted, the original God of War games that explored the Greek era came out within 2-3 years of each other. The original God of War released in 2005, followed by God of War II in 2007 and God of War III in 2010. Similarly, there were also 2008’s Chains of Olympus, 2010’s Ghost of Sparta, and 2013’s prequel Ascension. Part of the reason the God of War franchise became so big in such a short period of time is because there were new games constantly being released. It appears Santa Monica Studios may be taking a similar strategy with the new Norse era of the franchise, and they may have more plans down the line to release games back-to-back within just a couple of years. Sony likely also wants to capitalize on the hype surrounding the next-gen consoles, as many exciting game reveals have taken place recently, so there’s a need to stay relevant.
With that being said, however, there was still a five-year gap between the 2013 prequel and the new era of God of War. That gap wasn’t only necessary to re-brand the franchise - it was also required in order to ensure the high-quality of the game. Players would be understanding if the franchise took a little longer to come out with the next installment in order to meet the undoubtedly high expectations. Good things come to those that wait, after all. But if the new God of War game releases in 2021 and it's not on par with the 2018 installment, it could be detrimental to the franchise. It’s better if the God of War franchise takes its time to perfect the next installment before its release, even if that means players end up having to wait a little bit longer.