After months of rumors and speculation, it has finally been confirmed that Santa Monica Studio's God of War will be coming to PC. The PC version will feature performance upgrades like improved framerates and true 4K resolution. It's exciting to see a new demographic of players get to experience the acclaimed game, and God of War is worth the wait.
Porting the game to PC is great, but it's also a pretty strategic decision for Sony. There's a reason why God of War hasn't been brought to PC until now, and the upcoming sequel God of War: Ragnarok probably has a lot to do with it. Sony knows exactly what it's doing, and it's this move should start 2022 off right for the God of War series.
God of War is One of the Best PlayStation Exclusives
PlayStation is known for its many iconic, high-quality IPs like The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Marvel's Spider-Man. Out of all the PlayStation-exclusive franchises, God of War ranks near the top. The first God of War game came out in 2005, and since then it has only grown in prominence and popularity. The most recent installment, which takes Kratos to the Norse pantheon, won Game of the Year in 2018 and has sold over 19.5 million copies. Its sequel, Ragnarok, is one of the most highly anticipated games of 2022.
Some PlayStation fans don't like when Sony makes exclusives like Death Stranding, Horizon Zero Dawn, and God of War available on PC, but this is a great game that a lot of people will be excited to play. It makes sense financially as well. Because the cost of producing games has gone up, putting games on PC ultimately increases sales and helps Sony to fund future projects. Ultimately, it's good to let more people play a great game by preserving it on more platforms, and God of War is one that PC gamers have been hoping for.
Putting God of War on PC Increases Hype for Ragnarok
Putting God of War on PC increases overall sales, but it's also a genius marketing strategy. God of War: Ragnarok, will be coming out next year, so scheduling a PC release for God of War is the perfect way to draw in more fans right before Ragnarok releases. So far there's no set release date for Ragnarok, but considering it was originally slated for a 2021 release, it seems likely Santa Monica is aiming for the first quarter of 2022. The PC version of God of War is now launching on January 14, 2022.
God of War: Ragnarok is cross-gen, so it will be releasing on both the PS4 and PS5. It is not being launched on PC, however, which means all the players who fall in love with Kratos and Atreus in January will have to get their hands on a console if they want to play Ragnarok. Sony isn't having any problem selling consoles so far, despite PS5 availability still generally being scarce, but it'll want to increase demand and sell more copies of the next God of War game.
There are few games that could be defined as "console-selling," but God of War: Ragnarok is likely to be one of them. New fans won't want to wait years for a PC port that isn't guaranteed, and by then the experience might be lessened by spoilers. Sony and Santa Monica want to share God of War with PC gamers, but they also want to increase overall hype for Ragnarok. The God of War PC port could be the perfect opening act to generate excitement leading up to Ragnarok's release.
The God of War PC Port Feels Like Horizon Zero Dawn
This isn't the first time Sony has brought a major exclusive to PC, and it likely won't be the last - it seems to be becoming a common practice. Death Stranding, Days Gone, and Horizon Zero Dawn are the major exclusives to be released on PC, and the Uncharted series will move to PC in early 2022. God of War was starting to feel left out, and there's even rumors of Bloodborne, Returnal, and Demon's Souls coming to PC in the future.
The God of War PC launch feels the similar to the Horizon Zero Dawn port, which came out in August 2020. Despite not being perfectly optimized, Horizon did amazingly well. Its sales in the first month topped 700,000, and were comparable to the launch of Witcher 3. God of War is looking to replicate that success, and probably will.
Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War are both successful IPs, but they also have their upcoming sequels in common. The PC release of Horizon Zero Dawn definitely drew in more fans who will now want to play Forbidden West. Horizon Forbidden West was delayed to February 2022, so it remains to be seen if Sony's strategy paid off, but sales for Forbidden West may be an good predictor for Ragnarok.
God of War PC Port Could Hint at Ragnarok's Release
Even if some PlayStation fans aren't happy about God of War being released on PC, there is a positive side to consider. If Santa Monica is assigning a significant portion of its team to work on the PC port, that could indicate God of War: Ragnarok is nearing completion. It was delayed, of course, but development is probably into its final stages. Otherwise, Ragnarok would probably be all hands on deck. The PC port might mean that God of War: Ragnarok won't be far behind, and with a release window as broad as 2022, that's significant.
It's only speculation, however. Going back to Horizon Zero Dawn, the Guerrilla Games team completed its PC port before having the entire team focus on Forbidden West's completion. It's very possible that the PC port could be part of the reason why Ragnarok is delayed if the team decided to split its focus. The closer this PC launch gets, however, the more likely team members are to be moved to Ragnarok, so one way or another Santa Monica is charging full steam ahead.
God of War is available now on PS4, and will release for PC January 14, 2022.
