With 2022 already halfway done, all eyes are on the latter half of the year for big potential releases leading into the holiday season. Outside expected annual titles like Call of Duty and Madden, the second half of 2022 is looking more quiet than in years past, possibly due to the negative impact that COVID-19 had on game development. Many PlayStation gamers are holding out hope that God of War: Ragnarok will meet its expected 2022 release date to fill this void, despite rumors that the tile may be delayed into 2023.
However, a recent report from Bloomberg suggests that God of War: Ragnarok is still on track for 2022, and will even be available sometime in the month of November. While nothing has been outright confirmed by Sony just yet, fans are breathing a sigh of relief that they may not have to wait an additional few months to play this hotly anticipated sequel. These kinds of rumors should always be taken with a grain of salt, but there are a number of factors that play into why a November launch for God of War: Ragnarok would make sense.
God of War: Ragnarok as Sony's Big Holiday 2022 Title
Generally speaking, companies like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft like to position at least one major game for the holiday season. People will be purchasing new games either for themselves or loved ones, so it's a prime opportunity to make good sales with a hot new title. With Horizon: Forbidden West already available and upcoming games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 not due out until next year, God of War: Ragnarok is the only true blockbuster exclusive in the near future for PlayStation.
Bearing this in mind, the months ahead are pretty barren when it comes to standout video game releases in comparison to prior years. This creates a big opening for God of War: Ragnarok to stand out and have less competition, not being sandwiched between lots of other heavy hitters being made available at the same time. The game was originally slated for the end of 2021, so now with a whole extra year of development, the new adventure starring Kratos and Atreus should be just about ready to hit shelves.
Complimenting The Last of Us Part 1 & Forspoken
Of course, Sony can't rely on God of War: Ragnarok alone to carry it through into 2023. While it is arguably the biggest of the upcoming exclusive games, that's not to say there aren't other worthwhile offerings on the horizon as well. Forspoken should appeal to fans of fantasy action games, while The Last of Us Part 1 is a fresh new spin on a beloved PlayStation title. While Forspoken can be seen as a more niche title, and The Last of Us Part 1 is an older game with a new coat of paint, they do help fill out the PS5's upcoming schedule.
More importantly, fans should take notice of the launch date lineup for each of these respective titles. The Last of Us Part 1 is due out in September, while Forspoken will be available a few weeks later in October. This already gives the PS5 at least one standout release per month leading into the holiday season. God of War: Ragnarok could cap it all off by launching in November, serving as the final piece of this trifecta of exclusive content. Each would be released with a decent amount of time in between, but also close enough to help compliment each other leading into the holidays.
This should all be considered speculation at this point unless otherwise confirmed by Sony, but based on the current release calendar and Sony's own plans, this seems to make sense. Hopefully this report from Bloomberg proves true and gamers don't have to wait much longer to experience God of War: Ragnarok in all of its glory.
God of War: Ragnarok releases in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.
