Surprisingly, the wait for the next God of War entry may not be as long as fans expect. Some may have assumed that the God of War: Ragnarok sequel wouldn’t come out until well after the PS5’s launch, but Sony Santa Monica seems keen on releasing the game in 2021. It’s certainly a welcome surprise, especially for those who’ve been waiting since 2018 for the continuation of Kratos and Atreus’ story. However, this does beg an interesting question about cross-gen capability: will the next God of War game release on PS4 as well as PS5? Being a high-tier exclusive for PlayStation, it’s almost certain the game isn’t coming to PC, but a PS4 release is still feasible.
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan never gave a definitive answer to the question of God of War: Ragnarok’s exclusivity. Considering this, it’s possible that God of War’s development team and Sony may still be considering a cross-gen release for the upcoming sequel. Given the theoretical amount of time God of War’s sequel has potentially been in development for, it’s very possible early prototypes for the game were developed with PS4 hardware in mind. More importantly, Sony’s plans for PS4 support are planned to extend at least a few years beyond the PS5’s 2020 release.
Sony’s Support of the PS4 Only Bodes Well for God of War Fans
Specifically, SIE CEO Jim Ryan also mentioned previously that PS4 support is planned to extend through 2021 and 2022. It’s no secret that the PS4 was one of the best-selling consoles of all time, but Ryan is making it clear that cross-gen games will be the reality for as long as possible. Until the PS5 is in more homes, and not sold out among all the major retailers like at launch, the PS4 will likely be receiving plenty of support into the next year or two.
Which can only bode well for God of War fans who will still be on PS4 next year. It’s one thing that the PS5 continues to sell out, but it’s also worth pointing out that the launch lineup so far hasn’t drawn a majority of the PS4 userbase off the ecosystem entirely. Backwards compatibility is also a huge draw for the PS5, but until official sales numbers are revealed or calculated, the PS4 userbase will still be very strong moving into 2021. That being said, as the PS5 games lineup continues to expand with games like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Horizon: Forbidden West, God of War sequel could serve a similar role with those games: “system sellers.”
God of War: Ragnarok is a Perfect System Seller for PS5
There’s obvious consumer draws for the PS5’s technical capability: faster loading speeds with the custom SSD, higher quality graphical performance and fidelity, the DualSense controller’s new haptic feedback technology, among other things. However, the big thing for any new console generation is emphasizing the new games people can play on that system. As much as the aforementioned games will certainly help sell PS5 consoles, Sony has to be fully aware that the God of War: Ragnarok sequel would absolutely succeed as a PS5 system seller. Every console needs a killer app: for Xbox, it was (and still will be) Halo Infinite. For PS5, God of War is a contender.
2018’s God of War saw great reviews and widespread adoption from thousands of PlayStation fans, so poising the game’s sequel as a PS5 exclusive would significantly boost adoption of the PS5 in 2021. For context, it’s estimated that God of War sold around 20 million units worldwide as of 2020. That’s second only to Spider-Man for PS4 exclusives, which sold well over 20 million. The fan anticipation is undeniably there for the sequel, but pair that with the numerous other PS5 games coming in 2021, and more than likely fans will be inclined to get a PS5 next year if they haven’t already. Making God of War: Ragnarok an exclusive, from a business standpoint, seems like a no-brainer.
A Cross-Gen Release is Certainly Possible, but Not Likely
Still, there is the slim possibility that Sony’s dedication to the PS4 may result in a cross-gen God of War sequel, which is still a win for fans. Hypothetically, if the God of War sequel has been in development since late-2018 or even as late as mid-2019, the game would’ve already been in development for over a year. PS5 development kits were leaked around October of last year, so based on the assumption that developers didn’t receive those until mid-to-late 2019, God of War: Ragnarok’s earliest prototypes would’ve been based on PS4 hardware benchmarks.
To be fair, that’s a lot of assumption not based on too much evidence, but it’s important to highlight the fact that a cross-gen release of God of War’s sequel is possible, but not likely. Plus, considering God of War: Ragnarok was unveiled during the PS5’s hardware reveal for 2021, that’s a pretty clear inference that it’s coming to PS5 first and foremost. Should it come to PS4, then a lot of budget-friendly or patient gaming fans will be excited to know they won’t be left out for God of War: Ragnarok. However, God of War fans shouldn’t hold their breath for a PS4 version when the sequel’s definitive version will be on PS5.
The God of War sequel is planned to release in 2021 for PS5.
