Though it may have missed out on the Game Awards' official Game of the Year trophy,God of War Ragnarokis still many gamers' favorite title of last year, and its recent sales figures certainly back that up. During its launch week,God of War Ragnaroksold a whopping total of 5.1 million units, which is very impressive for a first-party exclusive only available on two consoles. The most recent figures paint an even more impressive picture, withGod of War Ragnarokhaving now sold over 11 million unitsin just three months.
For comparison,God of War 2018sold just over 5 million units in its first month, and 23 million units by the time ofRagnarok’s release in November 2022.God of War Ragnarokis already the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios title ever released, and if it keeps going then it could even have a chance of surpassing theMarvel’s Spider-Manseries' record-breaking 33 million units. While this seems like excellent news for just about everyone, these high sales could end up being a bit of a double-edged sword for developer Santa Monica.
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God of War Ragnarok’s Excellent Sales Could be a bit of a Double-Edged Sword for Santa Monica
TheGod of Warfranchise has always been a heavy-hitter for PlayStation, with the firstGod of Warjust narrowly missing out on thetop 10 best-sellers on the PlayStation 2, andGod of War3managing to crack the number eight spot on the best-selling PS3 games of all time list. That being said, no entry has managed to sell nearly as fast asGod of War Ragnarok, and that monumental milestone should certainly be celebrated by the hard-working devs at Santa Monica.
Somehow, despite the insurmountable pressure, Santa Monica managed to pull offGod of War Ragnarok,one of the most anticipated sequels of all time, and a game that promised to end the Norse saga in a satisfying way. And by all accounts, Santa Monica certainly did that, delivering one ofthe best-written gaming narratives of all time, wrapped in gameplay that took the excellent foundations of its predecessor and improved on it in some key areas.God of War Ragnarokwas a phenomenal sequel, and it’s genuinely great to see it perform well in the sales charts and see Santa Monica reap the rewards of their hard efforts.
That being said, this impressive sales milestone could have an adverse effect on the developer. Right now, it’s currently a little unclearwhere theGod of Warseries could go next. While fans have speculated that an Atreus spin-off could be next, or perhaps a fully-fledged sequel where Kratos ventures to a new mythology could be on the cards, Santa Monica has been very tight-lipped on what its plans are for the future, only stating that it’s not done with theGod of Warfranchise just yet.
After these sales milestones, Santa Monica might face even more pressure to return to theGod of Warseries than it ever has before, and that pressure might not forge a diamond. WhileGod of War Ragnarok’s development must have been incredibly pressuring, with fan expectations being absurdly high, Santa Monica at least probably wasn’t being pressured too much by Sony, with that being reflected in the lengthy development time the team was allowed. However, withGod of War Ragnarokselling so fast, Sony might be keen for Santa Monica to continue the series as fast as possible, and that could end up leading to a rough work environment for the development team. Hopefully this sales milestone is something that Santa Monica and Sony can simply be proud of, as fans are happy to wait for the next chapter in Kratos' story.
God of War Ragnarokis available now on PS4 and PS5.
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