Xsgaming Gaming Portal Your Premier Gaming Info Resourc - Story: Kratos Raging On PS3 In 2009?

Source: A daisy chain of copied-and-pasted reprintings that led through Computer and Videogames, right past GamesRadar, and into print mag PlayStation World UK.

What we heard: With God of War II occupying the history books for nearly a year, fervor is building for God of War III, the next console iteration of Sony’s series that is as popular as it is brutal. However, aside from former God of War II director Cory Barlog’s wagging tongue in March mentioning the game would feature 1080p resolution and rumble support, followed nearly nine months later by an official Sony Computer Entertainment America confirmation of its existence, God of War III remains little more than just a name.

Be that as it may, PlayStation World UK, via CVG and GamesRadar, reports God of War III will surface for the PlayStation 3 no sooner than late 2009. Citing "reliable Sony sources," the mag gives no other pertinent details on the game, saying only that "we shouldn’t expect to see Kratos blowing his fuse until around Christmas 2009 at the earliest."

So how does the report stack up? Taking into account the dearth of information or assets currently available for GOWIII, a 2008 release seems doubtful. At issue, then, seems to be the "late" portion of the 2009 equation. Traditionally, Kratos has staked his claim on the first half of the year, with the original God of War, its sequel, and the soon-to-be-released PSP prequel God of War: Chains of Olympus all surfacing in March. A March 2009 release would also line up nicely with the two-year interlude between GOW and GOWII.

However, as has been seen time and time again in recent months, developing for the PS3 has proven to be a far more involved affair than crafting games for the seven-year-old PlayStation 2. Combine that with the series’ cinematic approach to creating epic moments and boss fights--events that require countless hours of development to get a comparatively minute section of gameplay just right--and the series’ debut on the PS3 could very well require more development time than its PS2 predecessors. Thus, an announced March 2009 release date, followed by a delay to late 2009, seems like an entirely plausible hypothetical.

Another factor to take into consideration is the marketing effort Sony will undoubtedly pour into the game. Being an established franchise that has received high aggregate review scores, GOWIII has the potential to sell systems on a level similar to Bungie’s Halo 3 for Microsoft. As such, in light of the PS3’s lagging position in the console race, Sony does have motivation to release the game as early as possible. Of course, rushing a game to market tends to yield disastrous results, a risk Sony is unlikely to take with the coveted franchise.

The official story: "SCEA does not comment on rumor and/or speculation. We have not announced a release date for GOWIII."--A Sony representative.

Bogus or not bogus?: Without even the vaguest of release windows yet and the likelihood that GOWIII on the PS3 will require a longer development period than its legacy console counterparts, a late-2009 release seems entirely reasonable. Tentative not bogus.