Expensive God of War editions missing game

Some gamers who paid big money for God of War Ragnarok collector’s editions have found that their copies shipped without the game.

As first reported by Forbes, some God of War Ragnarok fans who bought the game’s expensive collector’s edition have received the edition, only to notice the main attraction – God of War Ragnarok itself – was missing.

The collector’s edition of God of War Ragnarok, which costs $319.95, is supposed to come with the game itself as a digital download code, alongside a Steelbook display case, some replica wooden toy carvings from the game, a dice set, and a 16-inch replica of Thor’s signature weapon, Mjölnir. It also comes with a host of bonus digital items, offering armour, cosmetic items, weapons, and more.

Some buyers on the game’s official subreddit have reported that their copy shipped without the game, with some receiving two bonus digital item codes instead of one that includes the game, while others have reported not receiving any codes at all. The problem is so widespread that somebody even set up a Twitter account to bring attention to it.

God of War Ragnarok is a follow up to 2018’s soft reboot of God of War, developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game has received near-universal acclaim from critics, attracting an astonishing 94 on review score aggregator Metacritic.

God of War Ragnarok features a wide range of environmets, from the icy lands of Midgard to the moist and damp wilds of Vanaheim. Picture: Santa Monica Studio

News.com.au’s own God of War Ragnarok review called it one of the best games ever, calling it “a far better game in every way imaginable” than its 2018 predecessor.

The PlayStation-exclusive game comes at a time when video game exclusivity is a hot topic, as Microsoft’s $100b deal to acquire Activision Blizzard faces an ‘in-depth’ investigation from European competition regulators, as well as regulators around the world. Microsoft intends to purchase the major Call of Duty and Overwatch publisher in an effort to bolster its exclusive content lineup on Xbox platforms.

It also comes after PlayStation Plus lost millions of subscribers following a rework that saw its online subscription service split into three distinct tiers, with the highest tier missing some streaming options in Australia. The rework saw subscriber numbers drop by 2 million users, due to what Sony described as “a greater decline in user engagement among PlayStation 4 users than expected”.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.