Fans of Sony Santa Monica Studios' 2018 soft reboot of theGod of Warfranchise have been anxiously awaiting news of its sequel,God of War Ragnarok. It’s unclear when Sony will deliver an update on the highly anticipated sequel, though a summer PlayStation State of Play is hoped for. Before that happens, however, a surprise bit of official information has just been published. The official ratings board for South Korea has ratedGod of War Ragnarok, indicating the game could be approaching the end of its development.South Korea’s Game Rating and Administration Committee has issuedGod of War Ragnarokthe agency’s highest rating, the “18” rating, which prohibits youths from the game. The18 ratingwas issued based on three different qualities. First,God of War Ragnarokfeatures “Excessive Violence” in the form of blood and damage performed with realistic weapons including knives and axes during battle. Suffice to say,God of War Ragnarokis going to be like priorGod of Wargames in terms of violence.RELATED:Video Compares God of War: Ragnarok’s 2021 Graphics to 2022Second,God of War Ragnarokfeatures “Excessive Vulgarity and Profanity,” throughout the game.God of Warfeatured a significant amount of dialogue and it sounds likeGod of War Ragnarokwill as well. Only this time around, one or more characters appear to curse quite a bit. Specific words mentioned include “F***” and “D***,” for what it’s worth. It should be noted that 2018’sGod of Warwas also flagged for “Strong Language” by theESRB in the United States, so this isn’t necessarily an oddity.
Lastly, South Korea taggedGod of War Ragnarokfor “Direct Drug Expression.” InGod of War Ragnarok, players will apparently experience characters “drinking alcohol in pubs.” These kinds of ratings typically involve the consumption of alcohol, as opposed to just the presence. Whether it’s significant toGod of War Ragnarok’s storyremains to be seen.
While the details ofGod of War Ragnarok’s rating in South Korea are intriguing on their own, the bigger story is that the game is far enough along in development to receive a rating. Ratings don’t mean that a game is finished, of course. But ratings do show that the game’s publisher is taking a significant step toward release. An interesting comparison isHorizon Forbidden West, which launched three months after receiving its rating in South Korea. Of course,Horizon Forbidden West’s release datehad been announced months prior to it receiving a rating, too.
God of Warfans are ultimately in the same position they were before the South Korean rating was issued. They’re hopefulGod of War Ragnarokis still on track for 2022, but waiting for official confirmation from Sony. This news is still encouraging, though. Here’s hoping an official announcement comes within the next month or two.
God of War Ragnarokreleases in 2022 on PS4 and PS5.
MORE:Where the God of War: Ragnarok Franchise Should Go After The Norse Saga
