Following a God of War 4 outing by musician Timothy Williams and his resume, we've seen one retailer after another seemingly slip-up and list the yet-to-be announced title for pre-order. However, despite all the retail pre-order buzz, the time window for a rumored God of War-related unveiling came and went over one month back - quieting speculation of any official reveal in the near future.
That is until Sony began teasing an announcement on April 19th - while another retailer began listing God of War 4 for pre-order in-store - complete with mock-up box artwork.
IGN received the tip from one of their readers - and posted what, at the time, the outlet perceived to be potential box art for the upcoming button masher-actioner. Check out the image below - which, according to the IGN reader, was taken at BT Games in Johannesburg, South Africa:
Upon further examination, there are a lot of red flags here - specifically the fact the game is listed as a "shooter" in the upper left corner of the box design. In addition, IGN updated their posting after several readers commented that the logo featured on the box is a fan-made design that's been floating around the Internet for months. As a result, it's relatively easy to assume that, as is often the case, BT Games is merely getting a head-start on selling a title that will, without question, be unveiled at some point in the not too distant future.
Obviously it's not unheard of for retailers to list pre-ordered games before official announcements; however, retail marketing activity can often be reflective of growing behind the scenes buzz - meaning that, while nothing official has been announced, it's possible that Sony is in fact preparing a God of War 4 announcement in the coming weeks.
In fact, for several days Sony has been teasing a potential reveal (God of War or otherwise) over on their official Facebook page with the tag line "Will Vengeance Bring Redemption? 04.19.12." Check out the Sony teaser below:
Could the pre-orders at BT (even if the box art is fake) be semi-confirmation of a God of War 4 reveal in three days? Only time will tell; though, the timing is right for a new Kratos adventure - since it's been over two years since God of War 3 hit shelves. It's also certainly possible that an over-enthusiastic BT Games employee merely threw together the pre-order art for kicks - not as a response to any behind the scenes chatter.
Either way, we'll definitely offer an update in the next few days - as we find out the answer to the question, "Will Vengeance Bring Redemption?"
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Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick for further updates on God of War 4 as well as other movie, TV, and gaming news.