God of War Ragnarok PS5 PS4 PlayStation

The launch of God of War Ragnarok is finally upon us, and while we know that the game has received one of the warmest critical receptions of any game in recent years, some developers at Sony Santa Monica were "freaking out" as recently as just three months ago.

In an interview with GQ UK, Ragnarok director Eric Williams discussed the difficult process of getting the project out the door, noting that "you never hear anyone say, 'the second time I climbed Everest, it was easy". We imagine following up on something as beloved as 2018's God of War can't be either, but Williams remained confident in the studio's abilities, maintaining that "when you work with people that are at the apex of what they do, you're going to get magic."

However, not everyone on the team was so sure the game was where it needed to be. Williams recalls the feeling of doubt some developers felt, saying that "they were freaking out three months ago, 'Holy crap, the game's not good. What are we going to do?' I can't even imagine how they feel today. I wish I had a time machine to go back and feel like that."

Currently sitting at a very healthy 94 on the review aggregator site Metacritic, God of War Ragnarok is the second highest-rated PS5 game of 2022, beaten only by Elden Ring, which itself sits on a lordly score of 96.

It just goes to show that even developers at the upper echelons of the industry doubt themselves from time to time. Hopefully, if the critical reception didn't already, the response of fans will reassure those at Santa Monica Studios that they had a hand in creating something truly epic.

What do you think of Williams' words and of the doubts some developers felt ahead of the launch of God of War Ragnarok? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source gq-magazine.co.uk, via ign.com]