Even after developer Santa Monica Studio finally addressed God of War Ragnarok again in a recent PlayStation Showcase, the actual title still felt somewhat up in the air. Though the title had been announced in 2020, the developer has been tight lipped about the upcoming God of War directed by Eric Williams, with the previous director denying the game existing at all.
While the title God of War Ragnarok has been officially confirmed at this point, there have been a few legal hoops that developer Santa Monica Studio and publisher Sony have held off on up until now. Namely, this is referring to the way that the title had been kept obscured by waiting until the game was finally announced before making any public filings that might have previously aroused suspicion.
In specific terms, Sony has finally begun filing a trademark for the title God of War Ragnarok, securing the name for use solely by the publisher in the US and Canada. Interestingly, this filing is very recent, only having taken place in mid-September, 2021, not long after God of War Ragnarok's official announcement at the PlayStation Showcase. This implies that Sony had been somewhat risking the state of the trademark in an effort to keep the official title under wraps, even after the teaser trailer from 2020.
At the time of this writing, the trademark isn't even fully processed, as it awaits further examination before legally confirming the title God of War Ragnarok to Sony. It may take up to six months for the filing to finish processing, which would fall in line with the 2022 release date expected from Sony and Santa Monica Studio. That doesn't necessarily mean that Sony will wait on launch for the completion of the trademark process, though it does likely mean the whole filing will be ready when the game is finished anyway.
It's a small step towrads more transparency from Sony in the case of God of War Ragnarok's development, but it should give fans more confidence in what they call the upcoming game. Still, patience might continue to be the best bet for those eager to get more out of Santa Monica Studio regarding the next title in the longrunning series. A confirmed name is a good step forward, and hopefully the developer will have more to say about the upcoming title when more of the game is ready to be shown to fans.
God of War Ragnarok is set to release in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.