Why Ragnarok Makes Sense for the God of War Sequel's Title
While fans haven't gotten much in the way of news or updates, God of War: Ragnarok remains one of the most highly anticipated games of 2021. Speculators are becoming more and more convinced that Ragnarok has been delayed until 2022 given how little has actually been revealed. And although fans and video game journalists everywhere are calling the game God of War: Ragnarok, the truth is that not even that is confirmed.
There have been a few teasers and hints about what God of War: Ragnarok could include, many of them being within the most recent God of War game itself. Cory Barlog has stated that the team set up events in the last game that won't actually happen for several more games, so the foreshadowing was definitely strong. One of the biggest things that was foreshadowed is Ragnarok, the Norse apocalypse. And Ragnarok is definitely coming, but the game's name could be something entirely different. For the sake of all the fans who've adopted Ragnarok as the game's title, hopefully it won't be too far off.
As much as everyone would love to believe it, the next God of War game is not officially titled Ragnarok. The title originally came from the reveal trailer itself, which shows a frosty God of War logo etched with runs spelling out "Ragnarok." In the background, Kratos says that the time draws near, and "you" (probably referring to Atreus) must prepare yourself. Followed by the logo, the trailer simply says that "Ragnarok is coming."
That's not a real title, that's just letting fans know what to expect in the next game and everyone already knew Ragnarok was on its way. The death of Baldur in the last God of War game is Ragnarok's instigating event and after the game's conclusion, Fimbulwinter begins. There's no stopping Ragnarok, but because that's the only true evidence towards the title, it is far from confirmed.
In the teaser, the word Ragnarok appears on its own for a brief moment, which likely also helped solidify the unofficial title. That could have been done for dramatic effect, but it could have also been a hint as to what the actual title is.
Typically, the gaming world is slow to pick up on something that isn't confirmed. It's important to keep expectations in check and not let rumors get out of hand, especially when they're just that: rumors. So it's a little bit surprising that everyone has latched onto the God of War: Ragnarok title as if it's the real thing, but the reason it's stuck so well is that it just makes sense.
One way or another, fans will truly begin to see the events of Ragnarok unfold in the next game. Whether it's just part of the epic event or whether the game is a rollercoaster through the entirety of Ragnarok, the wheels are about to start turning very soon. With Ragnarok being so heavily foreshadowed, the runes on the teaser trailer's logo spelling "Ragnarok," and the frequently used "Ragnarok is coming" mantra, there aren't a whole lot of clues that suggest otherwise.
Recently, Sony also used a fan-made God of War: Ragnarok logo for a Sony investor presentation. The title used in the logo was God of War: Ragnarok, so while that seems to confirm the title it's still too soon to jump to conclusions. It's hard to imagine why Sony would have used a fan logo instead of the real one, but perhaps the title isn't quite ready to be shared.
But based on that and the concept of the game, Ragnarok as the title just makes sense. At this point, calling it anything else would almost feel unnatural. It makes sense, and it's short and to the point - what's not to love? "Ragnarok" is also a very fun word that holds a lot of weight and implications, so anything else wouldn't have the same effect.
Even though Ragnarok seems like the best title for the God of War sequel, for it to really make sense, the game will need to cover most, if not all of the major events in Ragnarok. The reason this is uncertain is that Ragnarok is a massive event with a lot of major things that need to happen. To tell the story in video game format and keep the pacing reasonable, Ragnarok would likely need to be several hours longer than the previous game. And if the God of War visuals were impressive, Ragnarok's scale needs to be even grander. It's a tall order.
Keeping all that in mind, it can't be assumed that players will see Ragnarok reach its climax in the next game. Everyone is looking forward to it and hopes that it will, but it's far from promised. It's also fairly typical these days for things to come in groups of three, and if Santa Monica wants to get a third game out of the Norse pantheon before moving on with the franchise it will likely need to split the Ragnarok event. It is, after all, the end of the world, and there's a good chance Kratos dies at the end of it.
If Santa Monica Studio has decided to split Ragnarok into two separate games, calling the game itself Ragnarok wouldn't make a lot of sense. What would the next one be called? As previously mentioned, Ragnarok is a word that holds a lot of significance, and if it was used as the title for a game that didn't complete the Ragnarok narrative in one go, it wouldn't feel complete. Of course, there's always the option to do something like Part 1 and Part 2, but it's always more exciting to have an actual title.
So far, Ragnarok seems like the most likely title for the next God of War game, but it's important that gamers keep in mind it's still just speculation. Fans are hopeful that Sony will reveal more of God of War: Ragnarok around E3, and surely that announcement would include the official title, but for now it's still not known. Based on what's been revealed, though, the title should be Ragnarok and there's nothing wrong with people continuing to refer to it that way.
God of War: Ragnarok is scheduled to release for PS5 in 2021.
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