Sony Santa Monica delivered an excellent game in the form of 2018's God of War, which changed its hot-headed and violent protagonist into a more vulnerable one, which helped carve out a more grounded and personal tale. Fans are already excited for its sequel, the fan-named God of War: Ragnarok, as rumors swirl about regarding a possible reveal sometime soon.
Sony recently confirmed its next State of Play, scheduled to happen on July 8 as suggested by leakers. In addition to this, Sony also confirmed that Horizon Forbidden West and God of War: Ragnarok won't be a part of its showings. It's still better to wait for the perfect reveal, but there are a multitude of reasons as to why this could have been the perfect opportunity to reveal the game.
The Season Of Loki
Marvel has been releasing the first few episodes of Loki, a series on Disney+ dedicated to the Norse god of mischief. Putting Loki front and center in the series has been influential in expanding the reach and fanbase of the myths, which provides a perfect opportunity for Sony to strike while the iron is hot. The lore surrounding Loki and Asgardians in the MCU is quite different from the original myths, but so is the case with Santa Monica's retelling of the stories.
God of War established the fact that Loki is, in fact, Atreus. Given that the next game suggests "Ragnarok is coming," it can be comfortably assumed that Loki will play a role within the happenings. Now that the popularity of Loki is at an all-time high, the upcoming State of Play would have been the perfect window of opportunity to reveal God of War's Loki more greatly, and discuss how he would bring about Ragnarok.
Keeping Expectations In Check
Keeping the recent revelations and developments about God of War: Ragnarok in mind, it seems unlikely that fans will have a glimpse of the game soon. The now-confirmed State of Play seemed ripe for a reveal, given Sony already dropped the curtain on some of its biggest games such as Horizon Forbidden West. There's also the fact that this State of Play comes right after E3 2021, so fans were understandably excited for jaw-dropping reveals - which would have been the perfect shoes to fill for God of War: Ragnarok.
Now that it's confirmed Deathloop will be a main focus of the July 8 event, it seems safe to assume the trend will most likely continue moving forward. Prior to the release of Returnal and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Sony's conferences focused exclusively on a single first-party game with a few interesting third-party reveals and announcements surrounding the main attraction. It's still very early to assume when the next State of Play will be held, but it will probably be focusing on Horizon Forbidden West in a similar vein.
There's still pin-drop silence surrounding Tango Gameworks' upcoming Ghostwire: Tokyo, which would also receive its dedicated conference if it manages to ship this year. This makes a difficult case of God of War: Ragnarok making an appearance before the end of the year. It also aligns with the recent announcement that God of War: Ragnarok would be targeting a 2022 release now, and thus it makes sense that Sony is holding its cards for a grand reveal, possibly early next year.
God of War: Ragnarok will launch in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.