God of War Fans Decry Lackluster 20th Anniversary Celebrations

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20 years ago, on March 22, 2025, the God of War game series celebrated its anniversary. Originating as a popular hack-and-slash adventure on the late PlayStation 2, this series soon became a best-seller and a flagship franchise for Sony’s console. The latest instalment, titled God of War Ragnarok, was released in November 2022, wrapping up the Norse saga within the franchise. In September 2024, it was also launched on PC, adding a fitting finale to the series for now.

There’s been lots of talk about where the game “God of War” might go next, with Egypt being a popular guess, but whispers of a side story suggest that “God of War” could revisit Greece. Whether the series travels back to an old location, moves on to a new one, or spends a bit more time in its Norse environment, fans are hoping it won’t be too long before we learn about its future plans. For now, “God of War” has its 20th anniversary to celebrate, but many fans feel the official celebrations could have been more exciting.

How God of War Celebrated Its 20th Anniversary

Sony and Santa Monica Studio marked the 20th anniversary of the God of War (GoW) franchise on March 20th, but the celebration was rather low-key. Ahead of the event, posts on the PlayStation Blog and social media revealed that a free update would bring the “Dark Odyssey” collection of armor, character appearances, weapon attachments, and shield emblems to God of War Ragnarok. Exclusively for the game, a 20th Anniversary PlayStation Network Avatar was also made available. However, since the anniversary date passed without any further announcements, it has left some fans feeling underwhelmed about the series and its creators.

God of War Ragnarok’s Anniversary Update Was Interesting, At Least

Receiving freebies isn’t necessarily a downside, particularly for a game like God of War Ragnarok that has been around for quite some time. The “Dark Odyssey” items, in fact, are a nod to an earlier title – the working name for God of War (2005). Furthermore, the dark and golden motif on these Dark Odyssey items is inspired by a skin from God of War 2, which was earned by completing the game on the challenging God Mode difficulty. Interestingly, Ragnarok also introduced a new feature with this update – the “Edit Appearance” option now extends to weapon attachments and shield designs. While this update wasn’t groundbreaking, it certainly added something for God of War fans on its anniversary.

Where God of War’s 20th Anniversary Plans Went Wrong

God of War Remasters Would’ve Been Better Received Than Cosmetics

As a devoted fan myself, I must admit that celebrating ‘s 20-year milestone felt a bit incomplete without more games from this epic series. Rushing a spin-off into the limelight prematurely might not be the solution, but fans have been brainstorming alternatives.

The issue lies with some exceptional titles that are still confined to older PlayStation platforms. It would have been fitting to mark this significant anniversary with remastered versions of these games. This approach would require less development effort compared to a brand new release, and a compilation containing the original Greek trilogy could potentially sell millions just by itself.

Playing the iconic ‘God of War’ series, particularly the main trilogy, on your PS5 brings several advantages. Firstly, these games remain integral to Kratos’ character and evolution, as demonstrated in the Valhalla update for ‘God of War Ragnarok’. Secondly, the first two ‘God of War’ installments haven’t been easily accessible since the PS3 era, making it crucial to re-release these formative games. Unfortunately, the 20th anniversary of ‘God of War’ didn’t quite live up to expectations, but let’s hope that future discussions about remasters will eventually make them available for fans to enjoy again.

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2025-03-26 19:35