God of War director Cory Barlog has denied that a release date announcement for the game’s sequel, God of War Ragnarok, is imminent, and has asked fans for patience. But he also insists the game has not been delayed past its expected 2022 launch.
A release date announcement for the PlayStation exclusive had been widely expected to take place by today, June 30. But amid rising excitement and frustration from God of War fans, Barlog took to Twitter yesterday to ask for patience.
“If it were up to me I would share all the information when I know about it. But it is not up to me,” he wrote. “So please, be patient. I promise things will be shared at the earliest possible moment they can be.”
Asked by one skeptical fan why Sony wouldn’t just confirm the game was delayed, Barlog simply replied, “Because it’s not.”
Another Twitter user asserted that the release date reveal would take place today, but Barlog said, “No.” He told another follower that Sony and developer Santa Monica Studio were just not ready to make the announcement.
Barlog’s comments confirm a report earlier in June that the game was still scheduled to make its late-2022 release date, despite rumors of a delay.
That same report, by Bloomberg, was the source of speculation that the release date announcement would arrive at the end of June. It also pinned a November release for the action title.
God of War Ragnarok was announced in 2020 for a 2021 release, then delayed by a year. The game was first shown in September 2021, but the subsequent long silence from Sony and the studio has caused fans to be anxious. Pandemic-related production issues have caused many major 2022 releases to be delayed into 2023, including Nintendo’s flagship Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel and Xbox’s Starfield. God of War Ragnarok is arguably the last big platform exclusive left standing in 2022, other than Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for Nintendo Switch.
If Ragnarok is indeed on track — and Barlog’s comment that “it is not up to me” suggests the announcement has been delayed by the publisher for its own reasons, rather than due to any development issues — why would Sony not be crowing about it? It’s a valid question, but it’s worth noting that Sony, along with Nintendo, has been seeking to shake up the established PR calendar of late. This year, both companies ran low-key June showcases, well clear of the time-honored E3 window. Sony may just be looking for a quieter moment to maximize the impact of a reveal for its big 2022 game.
We will, as Barlog says, just have to be patient to find out.
