From the moment it was first teased,God of War Ragnarokhas been on top of many fans’ wish lists. Whether that means seeing it at an event, getting a new trailer, or preparing for its release date, the same fact is many wantGod of War Ragnarok. It’s easy to see why too, given how good the original game was.
That doesn’t excuse the reactionGod of War Ragnarokreceived when Sony and Santa Monica announced it was delayed. Many were angry with Santa Monica, harassed devs, and so on. No matter how popular a game is, video game development is a time-consuming process, and it would seem that nothing was learned fromhigh-profile debacles likeCyberpunk 2077. No specific reason was given at the time, though it could have run the gamut from a technical perspective to issues with the pandemic.
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God of War Ragnarok’s Delay Into 2022 Explained
Now, it seems the exact reason has been revealed, and it relates to theactor of Kratos, Christopher Judge. In an emotional post, Judge details how in 2019 he couldn’t walk and needed multiple surgeries pertaining to his back, hips, and knees. As such, Santa Monica Studio waited for Judge to get through his surgery and through his rehab, which resulted in the game being delayed.
Yet,God of War Ragnarokbeing delayedisn’t the story here and not just because fans already know of the delay itself. It’s that Santa Monica Studio stood by Judge during an obvious time of hardship. That in and of itself is remarkable, and a video game can’t compare to a person. Even though no one knew this at the time of the delay—allowing Judge to enjoy his privacy—the aforementioned reaction to the announcement is now even more inexcusable.
God of War Ragnarok Delays and Harassment
That’s not to say there weren’t many voices who were indeed understanding at the time, but several were quite angry. It was to the point thatGod of War Ragnarokdevs were harassed, and the usually pretending-to-be-oblivious Cory Barlog stepped in to take the blame. He explained it was his decision and that any hatred or blame should be directed at him. The reaction then, in and of itself, was inexcusable. It’s not like theGod of War Ragnarokdelay was any real surprise, as the writing was on the wall for its delay ahead of time, and yet this did nothing to stem the tide.
Indeed, contextualized with Judge’s reveal, it’s even worse. The idea itself is heartwarming, but the initial reaction now boils down to online denizens harassing devs because of a delay that was made in good faith. It’s not that the devs weren’t working hard enough, it apparently wasn’t even due to the pandemic, but it was due to the company standing by its voice actor.
If anything,God of War Ragnarok’s delay should serve as a valuable lesson. Developers are people. Games are made by people. Sometimes, life happens and people endure hardships. Whereas many companies treat people as replaceable,Santa Monicaclearly did not do that. The next time a game is delayed, fans should keep in mind that video games are made by people and treat those involved as just that: people.
God of War Ragnarokreleases in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.
