God of War’s Delay: The Secret to Its Unmatched Success Revealed!

by

2018 was an exceptional year for gaming, filled with remarkable titles like “Red Dead Redemption 2” and “Marvel’s Spider-Man.” However, even amidst the fierce competition, many consider the reboot of “God of War” as the year’s finest. The game’s praise and enduring cultural impact are well-deserved. After all, it stands out as one of the best demonstrations of how to successfully reinvent an established intellectual property. Sony Santa Monica boldly innovated in terms of narrative and gameplay, and these brave leaps ultimately proved rewarding.

It’s great that the reboot of God of War turned out to be successful because the series needed a fresh start after the somewhat lukewarm reception of its last game in 2013, Ascension. Although it’s not a bad game, Ascension is often viewed as less exciting compared to the earlier God of War games and the classic hack-and-slash genre leaders. As a flagship franchise for Sony, a mediocre performance wasn’t what they were aiming for.

The 2018 version of God of War faced an additional challenge by introducing a new pantheon and starting a new chapter in the story, which is a significant creative leap that could have gone awry. Fortunately, Sony made the right call by investing in this reboot, as it ended up being a huge success.

God of War 2018 Getting Delayed Proves that ‘A Delayed Game Is Eventually Good, a Rushed Game Is Bad Forever’

God of War Was Delayed Out of an Abundance of Caution

Back in the day, as a hardcore gamer, I had a behind-the-scenes peek into the development of God of War’s comeback in 2018, courtesy of Shuhei Yoshida, the ex-boss at PlayStation. Interestingly, the initial plan was to drop this masterpiece in 2017. So, six months before its scheduled release, I paid a visit to Santa Monica Studio to check on their progress. To my surprise, they told me the project was roughly 80% done then. However, even with that much progress under their belts, I felt something was still missing and not quite up to the mark.

As a gamer, I found myself battling against the odds on that tricky level Cory suggested. The foe seemed to have an unfair advantage, hiding just out of my field of view, firing shots from behind the camera. It felt like a sneaky move, leaving me feeling short-changed. To add insult to injury, there were technical hiccups too – frame rate issues and glitches that left multiple game elements malfunctioning.

Yoshida chose to postpone the game until 2017, extending its launch date by six months. This is a move that gamers have become familiar with when it comes to major companies, as they often hesitate to delay popular games. Despite this, numerous high-value titles still hit the market before they’re fully polished. The reasons for such decisions may seem like they prioritize the company’s interests over the consumers’, with the aim of meeting shareholder expectations or securing a favorable release window, such as during the holiday season. While these strategies can bring immediate gains, they often come at a cost in the long term.

God of War 2018 Proves How Essential Delays Can Often Be

As a dedicated gamer, I can’t help but reflect on the wisdom of the saying “a game delayed is eventually good, a rushed game is bad forever.” In the case of God of War’s 2018 reboot, Sony truly hit the nail on the head by not rushing its release. This masterpiece had an unprecedented and profound impact on Sony’s reputation during the 8th console generation, solidifying their position as trailblazers in the narrative-driven action games sphere. If it were released prematurely, its impact wouldn’t have been as transformative; the game would’ve needed months of patchwork to reach its full potential, and that magic bullet effect on Sony’s reputation might not have occurred.

The famous “delayed game” quote, commonly linked to Shigeru Miyamoto, is generally considered a misunderstanding or mistranslation of his original words. Instead, it may have stemmed from various expressions carrying similar messages.

In simpler terms, Sony could have potentially increased its fourth-quarter earnings by releasing an early, less polished version of God of War 2018. This might have attracted new investors and kept existing ones happy, but at a high price. From a business standpoint, it’s crucial for other developers and publishers to understand the value of goodwill and consumer trust. They should follow Yoshida’s example, allowing games to reach their full potential before launch. After all, we can’t predict the long-term consequences if Sony had released one of its most significant exclusives of the 2010s prematurely.

Read More

2025-05-26 13:04