God of War: Ragnarok is the much-anticipated sequel to 2018’s God of War and it’s coming to PS5 and PS4 on a yet-to-be-confirmed date in 2022.
In what will be the final chapter of the series' Norse storyline, God of War: Ragnarok will take place a few years after the events of 2018's God of War, with Kratos and a now teenage Atreus fighting for survival as Ragnarok (the end of the world) unfolds.
Since the game’s announcement back in September 2020, we haven’t been absolutely inundated with details about the next God of War game, but a trailer released in September 2021 did give us an exciting look at gameplay and in-game cinematics. Now that we're in the game's release year, we expect we'll get more details in the coming months, including that all-important final release date.
While we wait to learn exactly when we'll be playing God of War: Ragnarok, alongside even more details on what Kratos and Atreus will be facing in their upcoming adventure, here’s everything we know about God of War: Ragnarok so far.
[Update: God of War: Ragnarok isn't ready to be shown yet but 'something cool is coming' . Read on to find out more . ]
God of War: Ragnarok: cut to the chase
God of War: Ragnarok is due to release sometime in 2022 on PS5 and PS4, following a delay from its initial 2021 release window.
Prior to the official announcement of the delay, there was already speculation , given that Sony hadn't mentioned the sequel in its plans for 2021 following the game's announcement. PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst then confirmed the delay in an interview on PlayStation Blog in June 2021, stating that the sequel was being pushed into 2022 to give the team at Sony Santa Monica more time following disruption caused by the pandemic.
"So we have, currently, two very big, very narrative-driven games in development: Horizon Forbidden West and the next God of War," Hulst said. "And for both of those, they’re frankly affected by access to performance capture and talent. For Horizon, we think we are on track to release this holiday season. But that isn’t quite certain yet, and we’re working as hard as we can to confirm that to you as soon as we can.
"And for God of War, the project started a little later. So we’ve made the decision to push that game out to next year, to ensure that Santa Monica Studio can deliver the amazing God of War game that we all want to play."
Sony Santa Monica Studio followed Hulst's announcement with a statement on Twitter.
"We remain focused on delivering a top-quality game, while maintaining the safety and wellbeing of our team, creative partners, and families," the tweet said. "With this in mind, we've made the decision to shift our release window to 2022."
While we still haven't heard much about God of War: Ragnarok, Sony has reiterated that the sequel is on track to meet its 2022 release window, with the official PlayStation website posting a listicle in January 2022 of "22 games to look forward to in 2022" that includes God of War: Ragnarok.
As yet, a more solid date for 2022 is yet to be confirmed, but now that the year is well underway, we expect a release date to be nailed down in the coming months.
Reveal trailer We finally got a proper trailer for God of War: Ragnarok at the PlayStation Showcase 2021 that gave us gameplay and cinematic footage of what we'll be faced with when it releases. The combat looks just as devastatingly violent as we'd expect, and the new announcement also confirmed that we will indeed be facing Ragnarok – a series of events and catastrophes that ultimately lead to the end of the world according to Norse mythology.
Teaser trailer Previously we had been shown a brief teaser for God of War: Ragnarok right at the end of Sony's live stream event in September 2020. All it showed was a brief logo and the words "Ragnarok is coming".
God of War: Ragnarok is set to be a sequel to 2018's God of War and the final entry in the series' Norse saga. In a September 2021 PlayStation blog post , Santa Monica Studio gave us a slightly better idea of what Kratos and Atreus will be facing in their next adventure.
According to the post, God of War: Ragnarok will pick up a few years after the events of 2018's God of War. Midgard is being hit by the freezing winds of Fimbulwinter, which makes "survival for Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir in the Norse wilds even more challenging than before."
Though the previous game built up trust and understanding in the relationship of Kratos and his son Atreus, Ragnarok will continue to explore the complexity of their interactions.
The post describes Atreus as "desperately curious" and says that "he wants to understand who he is" and "who he could be". "The mystery of Loki’s role in the upcoming conflict is something that Atreus cannot let go of," the post says. "He wants to keep his family safe, but Atreus also doesn’t want to stand by and do nothing while conflict consumes the Nine Realms."
Kratos, meanwhile, wants to protect his son and "spare Atreus the bloody lessons he learned from his conflict with gods."
"Together, Kratos and Atreus will have to make a choice about which path they will take. Whatever they choose will define the fate of all those living in the Nine Realms as Ragnarök approaches." In the trailer shown in September 2021, we got a look at Freya and Thor and the post identifies them as the game's "two of the main antagonists".
As far as combat is concerned, the post promises more "visceral" and "spectacular" fights, with "new attack abilities, a new Runic Summon for Atreus, and of course, the return of Kratos’ legendary weapons." Santa Monica Studio says it's taken learnings from 2018's God of War to improve combat, with the aim of creating more player choice:
"Whether it’s through hard-hitting combos, a mastery of elements, or clever defensive tactics – you will find plenty of opportunity to fight alongside our duo in a way that feels uniquely expressive."
God of War: Ragnarok won't just expand on Atreus and Kratos' relationship and combat, it'll also expand in terms of setting. This time around, players are going to be able to visit all nine realms, including "the previously unreachable Vanaheim, Svartalfheim, and Asgard – as well as to new areas from locations featured in the last game. Exploring the realms will take you everywhere from verdant, otherworldly jungles to intricate subterranean mining networks."
Don’t expect the State of Play in May
Santa Monica Studios has repeatedly assured fans that God of War: Ragnarok will be released in 2022 but according to a recent rumor, we shouldn’t expect to see the game unveiled in a State of Play in the immediate future. It’s widely expected that a dedicated State of Play will be the way Sony reveals more about the upcoming game but, writing in a thread on ResetEra about a possible State of Play at the end of May, known insider ashhong said that’s “too soon.”
With the Summer Game Fest approaching and summer tending to be a period of reveals, even with E3 2022 being canceled, it could indeed be that we hear more about God of War: Ragnarok later than May.
Something cool is coming
Santa Monica Studios’ Cory Barlog has addressed the relative quiet around the upcoming God of War: Ragnarök, promising that “something cool is coming”.
In a video celebrating four years since the release of 2018’s God of War , for which Barlog was Director, Barlog says that the team at Santa Monica Studios is "incredibly thankful to the fans and the community for all the love and support we've received” since the release of God of War.
Barlog then goes on to address “the elephant in the room”: God of War’s in-development sequel, God of War: Ragnarök.
“We haven't said a lot about this,” Barlog explains. “That's because everybody is heads-down, hard at work. We are perfectionists. Everyone's tightening up the graphics on level three, there is so much going on right now that I just wish that we could share with you, but it's just not ready to be shown."
Giving a little bit of hope, however, Barlog adds that "the moment, the very second, that we have something that we're ready to share, we're going to share it, because we don't want to hold any of this back. So please hold tight, know that something cool is coming, and that we—everybody here at Santa Monica—is so incredibly thankful for all the support you've given us."
Reiterating the 2022 release
It looks like God of War: Ragnarok is still on track for its 2022 release. The latest update comes via Santa Monica Studio’s social and community manager, who goes by BlueOwlzMedic on Twitter.
In a March tweet which can’t really be misinterpreted, they say: “God of War Ragnarok comes out this year”. This comes after Jason Schreier’s assertion that the game won’t be pushed out of 2022, so though the game doesn’t have an exact release date just yet, things are certainly looking good.
Ready to play?
God of War: Ragnarok could very well be in a playable, finished state. Lead Destruction Artist on the game, Ruben Morales, posted a tweet in April 2022 showing footage of his daughter playing 2018’s God of War. In the tweet, however, Morales said “she loves playing the new game” but added that he “can’t show that footage”.
This suggests God of War: Ragnarok is in a good playable state and, combined with a recent tweet from Cinematics Producer, Estelle Tigani, that she's working on something "super exciting" for the game, it has fuelled rumors that Sony could host a State of Play and reveal the game’s final release date in the near future. Given the game is still slated for a 2022 release, it does feel like an update could come at any time.
Reports of a God of War TV adaptation
A live-action adaptation of God of War could be in the works, according to a recent report from Deadline. The report states that Amazon Prime Video is interested in the idea, which is reportedly being developed by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, creators and executive producers of The Expanse , along with Rafe Judkins, executive producer and showrunner of The Wheel of Time .
It's expected that the God of War series would act as the latest collaboration between Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions, which are currently working together on HBO's The Last of Us adaptation and Peacock's newly announced Twisted Metal series .
No delay expected by Jason Schreier
We’re still waiting for a solid God of War: Ragnarok release date, which has led to some speculation that the game could be delayed. However, Bloomberg journalist, Jason Schreier, has dismissed such speculation in a February Reddit thread on the topic, answering a question over whether or not the game is likely to be delayed into 2023 with a simple “Nope”. Schreier didn't expand on when he thinks the game will release, however, or when we should expect a release date to be announced.
Still on track for 2022 release It looks like God of War: Ragnarok is still on track to release this year, even if we haven't heard much about it. The highly-anticipated sequel was included in a PlayStation roundup of "Upcoming PS5 & PS4 games to look forward to in 2022", suggesting the game is still on schedule for a release in 2022.
‘No idea’ about PC port, says Cory Barlog We’ve seen an increasing number of PlayStation exclusives ported to PC in recent years, including, very recently and very successfully, 2018’s God of War . However, in an interview with Game Informer , Sony Santa Monica creative director Cory Barlog was unwilling to commit to the upcoming sequel, God of War: Ragnarok, getting the same treatment in a shorter timeframe than four years.
“I have no idea,” Barlog said. “Right now, we’re taking it one game at a time, kind of looking at each one and determining, 'Okay, is this the best thing?' And we’ll gauge how it does. Do people enjoy it? Did we do it right? Is there anything we did wrong? What can we do better in the future if we do this again? But at the end of the day, ultimately, it’s Sony’s decision.”
Release date may have been listed A release date tied to God of War: Ragnarok has been spotted on the PlayStation Network database.
The listing was flagged by the Twitter account PlayStation Game Size, which scrapes the database as it updates to find details on things like game file sizes prior to their release. The account tweeted out to say that "according to PlayStation database, God of War Ragnarok coming September 30 2022".
However, while it would be very exciting to get a solid release date for God of War: Ragnarok right now, as PlayStation Game Size itself points out, it seems more likely that this is a placeholder date rather than the actual release date. Until Sony or Santa Monica Studio announces something more official, we’d take it with a pinch of salt.
Concluding the Norse saga Santa Monica Studios creative director, Cory Barlog, has confirmed in an interview that Ragnarok will conclude the Norse storyline that started with 2018’s God of War on PS4 . Barlog explained that the main reason to conclude the Norse saga in God of War: Ragnarok was because of the long development time involved in making a modern God of War game. Between the five years taken to develop 2018's God of War and the four that will be spent on Ragnarok, the studio would rather the Norse storyline didn't run over nearly 15 years through a third game, as it’ll be “too stretched out.”
"Expressive choice" through new shields The game will bring Kratos and players enjoy a little more variety when it comes to the shields that can be used, according to director, Eric Williams, in an interview with God of War YouTuber Jon Ford .
When Ford pointed out that in the most recent trailer there are moments where it looks like Kratos’ Guardian Shield has a different design and Kratos is using it in different ways, Williams said this was true and that while he didn’t “want to go too deep on it”, the game will have “different shields, and they have different defensive options and abilities.“
The reason for this, William explained, is because he and the team at Santa Monica Studio “really want to open up expressive choice to the way that you build your Kratos, like the equipment and loadout and things like that."
This, Williams added, goes “all the way down to the defense, so you can kind of play a little differently and enemies know how to respond to that, or force you into these different situations where you need to use different things. I think it’ll be fun for players to explore that but also we want it to be more expressive, you know, your choices matter when you set him up.”
Rumors of a PC port Could we see God of War Ragnarok come to PC as well as PlayStation consoles? Following news of the 2018 God of War port , there is a tentative rumor that its sequel could get a similar treatment. A clue came by way of LinkedIn via GameRant , which picked up on a Twitter user who spotted the profile of a Senior Programmer at Jetpack Interactive, Warren Lee, who has a project listed as ‘God of War Ragnarok’.
It’s worth noting this could have been in error; Lee could have accidentally added the ‘Ragnarok’ bit while he in actual fact he might be working on God of War PC right now. Jetpack is the third-party dev in charge of the current God of War port, with Sony’s Santa Monica Studio in the role of overseeing the project, rather than actually doing the port. With that in mind, we feel there’s a possibility this could be a mistake.
However, with God of War finally getting a port, it does make sense that Ragnarok could get the same treatment. The caveat is, of course, that this would likely happen eventually, way down the line, rather than early in Ragnarok’s life. God of War was, after all, released for the PS4 in 2018, so it’s taken quite some time for the port to come about.
PS4 to PS5 upgrade fee After the player outrage surrounding the confusing upgrade process for Horizon Forbidden West , Sony issued a statement detailing how it will allow players to upgrade from the PS4 version to the PS5 version of future titles.
It specifically named checked God of War and said that you'll need to pay a $10 digital fee to get the enhanced PS5 version of the game if you already own the PS4 version. Most likely this means God of War: Ragnarok will continue Sony's trend of $70 PS5 games, however, we hope things change by the time the game actually releases.
It’ll launch ‘when its done’, says creative director Following the absence of an update on God of War: Ragnarok during PlayStation’s February 2021 State of Play , Santa Monica Studios Creative Director, Cory Barlog, appears to have posted a tweet in response to those asking for an update on the game.
Reading “When it’s done it’s done”, Barlog’s tweet doesn’t directly mention God of War: Ragnarok but it seems likely that’s what he’s referring to. The game still has a fairly wide release window of 2021, but there have been rumors that it might be looking at a delay and this tweet doesn’t exactly clear them up. But, as Barlog says, “Trust that it’s what’s best for everyone.”
Coming to PS4 too PlayStation Studios boss Herman Hulst seems to have confirmed that God of War will be coming to PS4. In a PlayStation Blog post , when asked about how PS4 factors into PlayStation Studios' vision, Hulst said:
"Where it makes sense to develop a title for both PS4 and PS5 — for Horizon Forbidden West, the next God of War, GT7 — we’ll continue looking at that. And if PS4 owners want to play that game, then they can. If they want to go on and play the PS5 version, that game will be there for them."
Previously God of War: Ragnarok was only confirmed to release on PS5.
Job Listings As spotted by GamesRadar , SIE Santa Monica Studio posted job listings in 2020 for a number of roles across its programming, art, design, and tech art teams – with one listing clearly citing the God of War reboot.
Applicants for Senior Combat Designer "Must have knowledge of God of War (2018) and be able to speak in depth about the combat systems, mechanics and enemies".
A listing for Facial Blend Shape Character Artist also specifically mentions "next-gen videogame platform experience" for the role: something that should whittle down prospective applicants to relatively few animators, given that the next generation of consoles have yet to launch.
The waters were muddied slightly with a Senior Gameplay Animator posting, which asks for someone "to help us push the boundaries of action and combat movement and set the bar for gameplay feel on the PS4 ".
God of War PS4 theme Back in April 2019, a new dynamic theme appeared on PS4 to celebrate the anniversary of the God of War reboot. The theme showed Kratos and Atreus rowing, however the theme contained a secret message (discovered by eagle-eyed God of War fans on Reddit ).
The boat the pair are rowing in has runes etched on its side which translate (in English) to "Ragnarok is coming" – which we now know to be a pretty official slogan for the game.
No God of War DLC God of War director Corey Barlog had said there were originally plans for DLC for the 2018 reboot, but said they were halted for being "too ambitious". That means the studio can invest resources into an entirely new game as opposed to post-launch content.
God of War (2018) PS5 update To make the wait for God of War: Ragnarok a little easier, Sony Santa Monica has released a God of War PS5 update that boosts the game's resolution to a checkerboard 4K resolution while maintaining a 60fps target. Hopefully this means that Ragnarok will continue the pleasing trend of more PS5 games hitting 60fps, even if it means compromising or dropping the resolution slightly to achieve it.
[Warning: spoilers for the ending of God of War ahead.]
Exploring that ending further At the end of God of War, we found out that Kratos' wife (and Atreus' mother) Faye was actually a Giant called Laufey. That means Atreus is half God and half Giant and, what's more, he has a different name altogether: Loki. You know Loki, the trickster of Norse mythology.
Hopefully God of War: Ragnarok will explore this further and we'll find out more about Faye's secret past, as well as why she kept it all a secret in the first place. We're also hoping Atreus will embrace the shape-shifting abilities that Loki is notorious for instead of simply standing on the sidelines firing arrows at enemies.
Atreus isn't a boy anymore The God of War sequel may continue on directly from the events of the previous game, however we think it would be more interesting to see how a teenage Atreus and grumpy dad Kratos fair on an adventure.
Forspoken release date, trailers, news and rumors
Forspoken (formerly known as ‘Project Athia’) is an in-development action RPG from Square Enix and Luminous Productions, coming exclusively to PS5 and PC in October 2022.
First announced at Sony’s PS5 games reveal in 2020, Forspoken will have players to take on the role of Frey Holland (played by Charlie's Angel's Ella Balinska), a young New Yorker who must harness her newfound magical powers to survive what Square Enix calls a "thrilling, otherworldly adventure" as she attempts to make her way home from the beautiful - but cruel - land of Athia, where she's been transported.
From what we've seen so far, Forspoken is stunning, and it's no surprise given the game is being developed to take advantage of the PS5 's technical capabilities. That means you can expect ray tracing and a seamless open world to explore, as well as some cool uses of the DualSense controller.
Interested to find out more? Read on for everything we know so far about Forspoken.
[Update: Forspoken's developers have listened to fan-feedback around dialogue and made adjustments. Read on to find out more. ]
Forspoken: cut to the chase
Forspoken release date and platforms
Forspoken will release on October 11, 2022, for PlayStation 5 and PC, making it a PS5 console exclusive.
The game was originally scheduled to launch in May but was delayed by five months so its devs could have sufficient time to polish the RPG.
Although the game is launching as a PS5 console exclusive, that doesn't mean we won't see Forspoken land on Xbox at a later date. A 'new and upcoming games' trailer posted by the PlayStation YouTube account in December 2020, showing footage from a collection of PS5 games, shows a tagline under footage of Forspoken (or as it was known at the time, 'Project Athia') stating that it is "not available on other consoles until at least 24 months after release date".
So it looks like Forspoken is a timed PS5 console exclusive, though don't expect it to land on Xbox Series X until at least October 2024.
While Forspoken's release on Xbox isn't off the cards, don't expect Forspoken to release on PS4 or Xbox One , as it's being developed to take advantage of current-gen hardware.
Forspoken editions and pre-order bonuses
Forspoken is available to pre-order now. The standard edition for both PS5 and PC costs $69.99 / £64.99 / AU$114.95 and comes with a bunch of pre-order bonuses that you can check out below.
A Deluxe Edition is also available for $94.99 / £89.99 / $152.95 and includes both the pre-order bonus content and additional content, including a digital mini artbook and mini soundtrack. Check out everything that's included in the Forspoken Deluxe Edition below:
Forspoken trailers
Game Informer Gameplay
Game Informer has posted footage of just under 10 minutes of 4K Forspoken gameplay. The footage offers a look at something called a “sideways city” in the game, giving a good look at the traversal and combat.
State of Play March 2022 ‘Worlds Collide’ trailer
In a March 2022 State of Play, a fresh Forspoken trailer was released, showing some of the enemies protagonist Frey will face in the game and the fast-paced magical combat she’ll use to defeat them. The trailer even gives us a little look at how Frey will be able to use her magic to traverse water.
The Game Awards 2021 trailer A new trailer for Forspoken was revealed during The Game Awards 2021 . The latest trailer shows off more of the game's story and action-packed gameplay, but also included the game's release date of May 24, 2022. This has since, however, been delayed to October 11 2022.
PlayStation Showcase 2021 trailer During the PlayStation Showcase on September 9, 2021, a new trailer gave fans a bit more insight into the game and its story, as well as protagonist Frey Holland. Check out the new trailer below.
AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution Partner Showcase Although not what you'd expect from a typical Forspoken trailer, an AMD FSR trailer all about Forspoken was released in June 2021.
The primary aim of the trailer was to show how the new game will put AMD's graphics tech to use, but it also features some gameplay snippets from scenes we've already seen in previous trailers. One shows Frey making her way through a forest with her magical abilities, as well as fighting with a bear-like monster.
Official title announcement trailer This trailer for Forspoken revealed the game's official title and its targeted release window of 2022. This trailer gave us a sneak peek of Forspoken's fast-paced, frenetic traversal and the gorgeous world it takes place in, along with some of Frey's magical abilities. Check it out below:
Announcement trailer Forspoken (or as it was called then 'Project Athia') was announced during Sony's Future of Gaming 2020 showcase with a teaser trailer lasting just over one minute long.
The trailer gave us a very brief glimpse at Frey using some of her magical abilities, the world of Athia itself and some of the creatures we expect to encounter. Check it out below:
Forspoken story and gameplay
In Forspoken, players will step into the shoes of Frey, a young New Yorker who is transported to the beautiful and cruel land of Athia. In order to find her way home, Frey must use and hone her newfound magical abilities to traverse sprawling landscapes and battle monstrous creatures.
Details on Forspoken's gameplay are still thin, but there have been some details we've been able to glean from the trailers we've seen so far and from what Square Enix has confirmed.
Trailers for Forspoken (and its showcase at Tokyo Game Show) have shown us that the game’s protagonist Frey will be able to use magic, and the game’s co-director Takefumi Terada said Frey’s learning to use “a wide variety of spells” will be a big part of the story.
Magic is also a key part of gameplay in terms of combat and traversal. Players will be able to use magic to directly attack enemies or set traps for them as well as perform “magic parkour”, covering huge distances over Athia, with Terada saying it “captures what makes our style of development at Luminous Productions so special.“
Controls aren’t going to be especially complicated by the sounds of it, as Terada also said that they want as many people as possible to enjoy the game. As such, it’ll only take one button to use magic to attack or to use parkour skills, while different button combinations will allow for different kinds of magic.
Giving some insight into the main character of Frey Holland, creative producer Raio Mitsuno described her as a “smart but still slightly immature” 20-year-old woman living in New York who, having had a difficult upbringing, “doesn’t trust the world much” and uses sarcasm and humor to deflect from her vulnerability. He called her “a good person at heart” who is desperate to escape to New York. It’s at this point that Frey is transported to the mysterious world of Athia. Here, her arrival sets off a chain of events and the game’s main story begins, following Frey’s journey as she tries to find a way back home and learns to wield magic.
We also got a look at a talking bracelet in the trailer and it turns out it’s called Cuff. Cuff is another character in the game and while Mitsuno said it’ll be a while before we learn more about them, Cuff will be important to the game and the story, guiding Frey through her journey. Frey and Cuff are described as “two peas in a pod”, both saying “whatever they think.” As a result, they’re “constantly bickering” and will make small talk during Frey’s journey.
As far as Athia itself is concerned, it was a continent once at peace but now teeters on the brink of destruction, ruled by figures known as the Tantas who were beloved but have become oppressors. Two Tantas have been confirmed so far. One is Tanta Sila. Described as one who “lives for the battlefield” and has “immense physical strength”, she is in charge of Athia’s defense. The other is Tanta Prav, the "Tanta of Justice" who is "a callous executioner with a warped sense of justice, trusting only in her own judgment.” Each of the Tantas has been designed “with a specific virtue in mind” and Frey will have to face off against them in the course of her journey.
Forspoken news and rumors
Improvements being made based on fan feedback
Following the delay of Forspoken, the game’s development team has said it’s listening to fan feedback and adjusting the game based on it. In a preview with Game Informer , creative producer Raio Mitsuno touched on feedback that’s been received around dialogue between protagonist Frey and her companion Cuff.
“There’s been some commentary about the frequency of banter between Frey and Cuff when you’re out in the world,” creative producer Raio Mitsuno tells Game Informer. “Those kinds of things we’re looking at in terms of fine-tuning the frequency, making sure that it’s not to the point where it feels overwhelming, but we want to make sure it’s timed nicely. Where it doesn’t feel like there’s too much silence when you’re playing out in the vast world.
“But we don’t want it to be too much,” continues Mitsuno. “You know, you don’t want it to be noise, obviously. So, we are taking a lot of feedback and making sure we’re adjusting things to make sure that it’s kind of the optimal experience.”
In-game purchases revealed by ESRB rating
Forspoken has received its ESRB rating which gives us a few more details about the game ahead of its release. The game’s ‘M’ rating was posted to the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s official website , citing the game’s violence and use of strong language as reasons for that rating.
Interestingly, the listing also flags the existence of in-game purchases in Forspoken, in both the PS5 and PC versions. It doesn’t actually go into any detail over what these in-game purchases will be so we’ll have to wait for further confirmation from Square Enix before we can be sure.
Bestselling fantasy author may have been approached to write it Brandon Sanderson, the fantasy author behind the Mistborn series, may have been approached to write the lore of Forspoken.
According to PCGamesN , in a Q&A session, Sanderson stated that Square Enix had previously approached him to work on a new "fantasy IP". Sanderson said that while the offer was "tempting", he had to turn it down because he had "just picked up a video game project that I still can’t even announce”.
The project Sanderson was offered to write on by Square Enix apparently had similarities with Sanderson's Mistborn series (which has been noted by fans ) and had been recently revealed at the time, suggesting it was likely Forspoken.
Visual modes and DualSense features As with many PS5 games, Forspoken will have a few visual modes to choose from. Creative producer, Raio Mitsuno, told Ungeek there’ll be three in total. In Graphics Mode, the game will run in 4K at 30fps, while in Performance Mode, the resolution will drop to 1440p but the frames per second will target 60. There will be a third mode with the option to turn on ray-tracing but the resolution and frame rates in that mode weren’t revealed.
As far as making use of the DualSense, director Takeshi Aramaki said: "We really have included a lot of unique PlayStation 5 hardware features when we were developing this game. For example, using the adaptive triggers, we added tactile feedback when you’re using the different types of magic. We’ve got lots of different magic spells you can use in the game, and the planners and designers sat down and worked out how to differentiate the feedback you get from the controller for each of the magic spells."
Closer look at the Tantas After revealing Tanta Sila during Tokyo Game Show, a recent PlayStation blog post has gone into greater detail on the former rulers of Athia and Frey’s primary foes. According to the post, these once beloved rulers turned into aggressive and hateful oppressors. When Frey faces them she’ll find that each embodies “a different virtue and possesses a unique strength.”
Having already introduced Tanta Sila, the post introduces Tanta Prav, who can be seen in the recent trailer at December 2021's The Game Awards. Tanta Prav is the “Tanta of Justice”. Before the break, the post says, “she judged right from wrong with her uncanny ability to perceive untruths and brought order and peace to Athian society. Now she is a callous executioner with a warped sense of justice, trusting only in her own judgment.”
Tokyo Game Show 2021 Forspoken may have skipped E3 2021, but it appeared during Square Enix’s October Tokyo Game Show presentations. The game received its own showcase during the Tokyo Game Show, during which members of its development team were able to shed a little more light on what we saw in the most recent trailer.
Co-director Takefumi Terada and creative producer Raio Mitsuno offered more details on the game's story, the world of Athia and how central a role magic will play in the game. They also touched on the Tantas, one of whom, Tanta Sila, is seen battling Frey in the trailer. The official Forspoken Twitter account posted a clearer image of the Tanta of strength, which can be seen below:
Big names behind it Forspoken's writing team certainly gives us confidence in the game's story. Gary Whitta (who co-developed Rogue One) acts as story team lead, while other members of the team include Amy Hennig (who wrote the original Uncharted trilogy), Allison Rymer (who previously worked on Shadowhunters) and Todd Stashwick (who stars in 12 Monkeys).
In addition to a great writing team, Forspoken's got two great composers behind it too. Bear McCreary (who has composed God of War and The Walking Dead) and Garry Schyman (composed for BioShock) will be transporting our ears to Athia - and we can't wait.
A new iPad Air sounds a lot less tempting now that I've tried Samsung's new tablets
I generally don't like big gadgets. I hate having to stretch my fingers around a giant phone, or clamp bulky smartwatches around my wrist, or crane my neck to look at massive screens. That's why the iPad Air 4 seemed perfect for me - it was a lovely, portable little champ that, in terms of size, was just right.
With news that Apple has confirmed its March launch event , rumors are swirling about what we'll see - and an iPad Air 5 is one of the top choices. Leakers seem pretty convinced that Apple's next mid-range tablet is on its way.
You'd think that I'd be excited by this news: a successor to this lovely Air tablet might be coming! However I recently had my head turned by something I thought I'd hate - the absolutely gigantic Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra .
Bigger is... better?
I often find it hard to predict how I'll feel about gadgets until I've fully tested them out, and I regularly get blindsided by devices I didn't expect to like (or didn't expect to dislike).
That was the case with Samsung's new 14.6-inch super-tablet, a device which is much bigger than any other slate on the market, and which I initially thought would be too unwieldy to use properly.
Well, I was wrong. I really enjoyed using the thing for taking notes, doodling, working, watching Netflix - it was a dream. My qualms about this baby-sized tablet quickly vanished while using the thing.
In short, I liked the thing a lot more than I expected to, which made for an easy review to write. But it's not as great now that this Apple event has been announced.
How big is 'big'?
Going from the 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra to my 12.9-inch iPad Pro felt like quite a step down in terms of size - I had to rest the slate a little closer to me when streaming things, and I often went to sketch or doodle and found me accidentally using up all the canvas too quickly.
Rumors suggest the iPad Air 5 could be 10.9 inches across, which is another case of serious shrinkage for me. I'm going to have to squint to see anything.
Of course, this is a very limited problem. Not everyone tests gadgets for their job. But there are other things that the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra convinced me tablets need, that I don't imagine the new iPad Air will have.
Samsung's wins
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with an S Pen stylus. For iPads, you always have to buy the Apple Pencil separately. That alone is a major reason that the iPad Air might seem like a tough sell - you have to shell out loads of extra cash.
Plus, there's a good chance that the new iPad Air will have an LCD screen, as previous iPads (save a few Pro models) have had. This just pales in comparison to the AMOLED panels on the Galaxy Tab S8 devices. AMOLED has much more vibrant colors, far better contrast, and higher max brightness.
Since I use my tablet lots for streaming, this is a major win for Samsung.
I was also impressed by the battery life in the Tab S8 Ultra. Now, I know 'bad battery life' is a complaint about Apple devices that's so common that it's lost its meaning, but in my 2018 iPad Pro, I often find I can't simply go to a coffee shop and write without having to plug the thing in while I'm there.
Before you start to write emails 'of course battery life would drop over four years' - I haven't actually been using it that long, I'm just referring to which model it is.
Of course, there are also reasons to prefer iPads over Android tablets. They have a better selection of apps, they play well with other Apple devices, and there's a much bigger selection of third-party accessories to buy for them.
But I always used to claim Apple held the ' best tablet ' throne in an iron grip - after testing the Tab S8 Ultra, though, I'm a little less excited for whatever the next iPad might have to offer.
