Some fresh merchandise listings and a rating certificate in South Korea are fuelling sentiment that God of War Ragnarok could still arrive by the end of 2022.
All of these developments have been spotted by Twitter user @the_marmolade, who points out that the merchandise, in particular, could provide an interesting clue as to when the game might drop.
These items, on UK website Geeky Zone, include everything from t-shirts to plushies, with the majority of the pre-order listings possessing either September or October release dates.
God of War Ragnarok Receives Merchandise and a Rating
There are 15 pieces of merchandise overall, with one, a card game, already seemingly sold out.
Prices range from £14.44 for a beanie, all the way up to £136.84 for a Mythic Battles set.
Links to some of the same merchandise on a different website, Entertainment Earth, have also been posted by a Spanish God of War community Twitter account.
On the other hand, the South Korean rating certificate, applied for by Sony Interactive Entertainment Korea, which has been translated by VGC, confers upon the game a “not available for youth” or 18+ rating.
It cites several reasons for doing so, including “excessive violence”, “excessive vulgarity and profanity” and “direct drug expression”.
In particular, these refer to the game’s inclusion of “realistic weapons such as knives and axes", which cause “blood and body damage”, the existence of profanity within its dialogue and the fact that characters consume alcohol in pubs.
This news follows suggestions earlier this year from both Santa Monica Studio and Sony that, despite a lack of updates prompting fears of a delay, the game would still be coming this year.
Fans have also been extra wary due to the fact that Cory Barlog, director of both God of War 2 and the 2018 series reboot, isn't Ragnarok's director, with Eric Williams taking on the role instead.
Make sure to follow us for more God of War updates as information on Ragnarok becomes available.