Another Game Awards has come and gone, with the 2021 show on December 9 havingIt Takes Twoultimately take the grand prize for Game of the Year. Numerous other awards were given out to titles likeDeathloopandMetroid Dread, rounding out a solid year for gaming overall. Aside from awards, the event is also a good opportunity for studios to offer sneak peeks into upcoming projects, especially considering the amount of traffic The Game Awards generates.God of War: Ragnarokwas one title that many speculated would be in attendance, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Plenty of other games made an appearance during the show, ranging from blockbuster series to smaller indie projects. While it is unfortunate thatGod of War: Ragnarokwas not present, the upcoming PlayStation exclusive doesn’t exactly need extra promotion. With only two trailers under its belt,God of War: Ragnarokis already among the most anticipated games of 2022, and it would likely stay that way if developer Santa Monica Studio chose not to promote it any further. However, even though Kratos didn’t need the extra boost from The Game Awards, the event itself lacked a major show-stopping moment thatGod of War: Ragnarokcould have easily provided.
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The Game Awards Needed That ‘One More Thing’ Moment
Whether it’s The Game Awards, aSony State of Play, or even a Nintendo Direct, developers usually try to include at least one teaser that stands above the rest. Following the notion of “saving the best for last,” this kind of reveal ends things in a big way and leaves players feeling excited for what’s to come. For example, at the last State of Play in September, many upcoming games were shown off for PS5 likeForspokenandGran Turismo 7. At the very end of the presentation, the first proper look atGod of War: Ragnarokgameplay was shown off in spectacular fashion.
Nintendo has performed the same tactic on numerous occasions, saving areveal forSuper Smash Bros UltimateorBreath of the Wild 2until the end of a stream. Naturally, these kind of reveals don’t always need to be at the very end, and can even be used to open a show with a bang. The point is, when looking back at The Game Awards 2021, there was no one huge announcement that stood high above the rest of the games on offer.God of War: Ragnarok, considering its immense amount of hype, would have been a stand-out inclusion, especially if something like a release date was confirmed alongside a new trailer.
The Scale of a Game Announcement
This is not to discredit or undermine any of the new game reveals at TGA 2021. A myriad of new footage for previously announced titles, as well as entirely new surprises were on display. Fans of horror games finally got a tease forAlan Wake 2, the long-anticipated sequel to the 2010 original. Quantic Dream additionally premiered atrailer forStar Wars: Eclipse, hinting at a moody, mature take on a galaxy far, far away.
These were all noteworthy stand-outs in a laundry list of exciting games to look forward to, but none of them could arguably be seen as the one show-stealing moment.Alan Wake 2appeals mostly to fans of horror titles, and whileStar Wars: Eclipseis set in a popular franchise,Quantic Dream’s interactive drama styleisn’t exactly for everyone.God of War: Ragnarokis a game with such an epic scale that it is able to check off enough boxes to appeal to many different interests. Whether it be action, fantasy, RPGs, robust combat mechanics, or even just a gripping narrative,God of War: Ragnarokis set to be the epitome of AAA experiences if its predecessor is any indication.
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The Hype For God of War: Ragnarok
Looking ahead into 2022,God of War: Ragnarokis not only positioned as one of thebiggest PlayStation exclusives, but one of the biggest games of the year in general. Aside from fellow PlayStation titleHorizon: Forbidden Westand Nintendo’sBreath of the Wild 2,God of War: Ragnarokcould very well be the game with the greatest expectations behind it. Considering its predecessor from 2018 was showered in near universal praise, it’s easy to see why.
The Game Awards hostGeoff Keighleyundoubtedly made a tremendous effort to secure a healthy amount of reveals for players of all interests. There was clearly a lot of passion behind putting this event together, made only more impressive by the outside difficulties of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But once again, even with the enormous quantity of new reveals on display, there wasn’t one that was able to edge out the competition as a clear frontrunner for the evening.
Sony generally likes to save new trailers and information for its first-party titles to appear in its own State of Play streams, ensuring more eyes are exclusively on them. Even so, a brief tease that lasted a minute or two wouldn’t have hurt topromoteGod of War: Ragnarok. It also would have worked wonders to turn an overall good show into a great one.
God of War: Ragnarokis planned to release in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.
