If you aren't familiar with the God of War series, then you don't know about the adventures of Kratos, a man who was tricked into killing his wife and child by the actual God of War Ares, and then goes on a quest of vengeance through a much more darker version of Greek mythology through several games that were released to Sony's various PlayStation platforms.  These are the Rumors and the Release Date of another God of War 4 game, and this time, Kratos heads to Asgard with some Norse Mythology thrown in. 

So is there a God of War 4?  It hasn't been formally annouced, but considering the success of the franchise overall, a God of War 4 doesn't come as a big surprise.  In 2014, there was an accidental slip from Sony Santa Monica's Cory Barlog, the director of God of War 2.  At the PlayStation Experience panel, Barlog mentioned that the studio was working on a new God of War game, according to Polygon.  

There was also talk from David Jaffe, former director of the God of War franchise, shifting the subject of the story to the Norse mythology.  Considering that the protagonist of the game is known for essentially destroying the gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon, it would make sense for him to move on, somehow, if only to keep the God of War franchise alive.

It looks like these Norse rumors are true, as an industry insider Shinobi602 sent out a series of tweets on this, and a site known as Nerdleaks did some digging to find all kinds of  screenshots showing Kratos in the Norse world.  According to Forbes, Nerdleaks was taken offline, but several of these photos are on NeoGaf. 

The thing that makes people believe that Kratos has gone Norse is that there are shots of the main character in Viking furs with axe and a beard.  It looks like he will be visiting locations such as Alfheim and Vanaheimr, two of the Nine Worlds of Norse mythology. 

Yes, if you are a fan of the Thor movies, this is the same nine worlds that are discussed in those films, and will be explored more in Thor 3: Ragnarok.  Surely the Norse god figures like Thor, Loki, and Odin, will work their way into God of War 4, but will more than likely have a much darker and grittier look to them.  The mythical creatures from Asgardian lore will also make an appearance, and there are many to chose from there.   

So God of War 4 looks to be under construction, which leads fans of the franchise to wonder when will be its formal release date.  Considering that it looks like the secrets out, God of War 4 should get an announcement at E3 2016.  If you aren't familiar with the Electronic Entertainment Expo, it is a big video game convention held every year at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and it would be the prime time for an announcement to be made, if God of War 4 is ready before the holiday season.