God of War Ragnarok Producer Responds to Release Date Criticism

PlayStation and Santa Monica Studio recently announced a release date for God of War Ragnarok and revealed a new trailer featuring Fenrir. A fancy Collector's Edition featuring a 16-inch Mjolnir Replica was even revealed. It's been a good week for fans of the PlayStation series, especially since the release date is a 2022 release date. There was a growing concern and plenty of speculation that the highly-anticipated sequel was going to be delayed to 2023, but it hasn't been. Rather, the game is set to release worldwide on November 9, 2022. 

As you would expect, the release date announcement had God of War fans buzzing on social media. However, the announcement was also met with some criticism. Over on Twitter, one user stated that the game's release date was in order to have something this holiday "and not because that's a reasonable launch date." Adding to this, they noted that they "hope there's no crunch and everything is going according to plan."

The tweet in question was gaining some attention, and eventually, it attracted a response from Cory Barlog, the creative director of 2018 God of War and a producer on Ragnarok. And the response from Barlog shot down the suggestion, noting the release date was determined not just with the game and fans in mind, but also the team.

"I feel like we thought a lot about what date is best and chose the best date for the team, the game, and the fans," said Barlog in response.

It remains to be seen if the sequel will hit this date, but PlayStation wouldn't have announced it -- especially after waiting so long, and so close to the date itself -- if it wasn't confident the game would hit. When it does hit, it will be available via PS4 and PS5. 

"From Santa Monica Studio comes the sequel to the critically acclaimed God of War (2018)," reads an official blurb about the game. "Kratos and Atreus must journey to each of the Nine Realms in search of answers as they prepare for the prophesied battle that will end the world. Together, Kratos and Atreus venture deep into the Nine Realms in search of answers as Asgardian forces prepare for war. Along the way they will explore stunning, mythical landscapes, gather allies from across the realms and face fearsome enemies in the form of Norse gods and monsters. As the threat of Ragnarök grows ever closer, Kratos and Atreus find themselves choosing between the safety of their family and the safety of the realms..."