Earlier this year, Sony had confirmed that God of War Ragnarok has been delayed to 2022. This was followed by a full gameplay reveal of God of War Ragnarok at the latest PlayStation Showcase event, that gave fans a taste of the story and new features that will be added to the game. While the exact cause of this delay was previously unknown, one of the biggest reasons for the push to 2022 has now been revealed.
God of War Ragnarok was originally announced during the second major PS5 showcase event in September 2020. It was revealed right at the end of the show, and mainly comprised of the words “Ragnarok is coming” with the date 2021. Even back then, some fans believed that the game would not release in 2021 as Sony had not shared any gameplay footage or screenshots. While the delay to 2022 may not have been a surprise, fans probably would not have been able to guess the reason for it.
In a Tweet, Christopher Judge, the actor who plays Kratos, clarifies that God of War Ragnarok was delayed due to him not being able to walk in August 2019. He mentions that he had to undergo a back surgery as well as a knee surgery, in addition to getting both hips replaced. In follow up Tweets, he commends Santa Monica Studio for all the love and support they had given him throughout this process. He also states that the developers never said a word about what caused the delay. In addition, Santa Monica Studio apparently did something for the crew, and Judge calls it the classiest thing he has heard of in this entire business.
Judge states that he quit after he was told about Cory Barlog not returning to direct the sequel to 2018’s God of War. Cory asked Judge to trust him, and mentioned that the new director, Eric Williams, is a “beast”, which Judge later confirmed to be true. While it did look like God of War Ragnarok’s delay was simply a natural part of game development, it is commendable for Christopher Judge to come out and claim responsibility for it.
The replies to these Tweets are filled with best wishes, and its great to see the community coming together in their support of Christopher Judge as well as the entire development team at Santa Monica Studio. 2022 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years for PlayStation Studios, with God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, and Gran Turismo 7 all scheduled to release next year.
God of War Ragnarok releases in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.