Sony clarified the release windows of two of its upcoming biggest games today via an interview with PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst. He notes that Horizon: Forbidden West is hoping for a release this holiday, while the next God of War (which is probably subtitled Ragnarok) is coming in 2022.
We got a good look at Horizon: Forbidden West during a State of Play stream last month, but Sony did not reveal a release date — or an even a release window — for the game. Sony is now clarifying that it wants the blockbuster sequel to come out during the later part of the year, but it isn’t fully committing to anything.
“For Horizon, we think we are on track to release this holiday season,” Hulst says in the interview. “But that isn’t quite certain yet, and we’re working as hard as we can to confirm that to you as soon as we can.”
The pandemic has been challenging for developers, so industry watchers are expecting delays. Still, Sony likely wants Forbidden West to be its big holiday release.
God of War, meanwhile, always seemed likely as a 2022 game, even though Sony first pegged it for a 2021 release when it announced the sequel last September.
“And for God of War, the project started a little later [than Horizon: Forbidden West],” notes Hulst. “So we’ve made the decision to push that game out to next year, to ensure that Santa Monica Studio can deliver the amazing God of War game that we all want to play.”
Aside from the imminent Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, these are Sony’s biggest upcoming releases. The PlayStation 5 is off to a strong start, and high-end software will ensure that it continues to see success.