God of War Ragnarok
After Sony gave us a first look at God of War Ragnarök as part of the PlayStation Showcase last week, the Santa Monica Studios team surprised in an interview afterwards with the statement that this game will be the last title, who deals with Norse mythology. There will therefore no longer be a third part. The story of Greek mythology was told in a trilogy at the time. In an interview with YouTuber Kaptain Kuba, Creative Director Cory Barlog has now explained this decision."There are several reasons. I think one of the most important reasons is time. The first game took five years. The second game I can't say at the moment how long it will take, but I would argue that it will take a similar amount of time. If you think about it now, a third part with the same duration and we are suddenly talking about a period of 15 years for one only story. I just think it's too stretched. "
According to Cory Barlog, God of War Ragnarok will also end the story of Kratos and Atreus. From the start, the team wanted the story to be about the relationship between the two characters. In contrast to the predecessor, Cory Barlog is not responsible for the successor as Game Director. This role is played by Eric Williams, who has been on the Santa Monica Studios team for many years. However, Barlog indicated in the PlayStation Showcase that the studio is apparently already busy with further ideas for the future. God of War Ragnarök will be available in stores exclusively for PS5 and PS4 in 2022.
Source: YouTube
Why God Of War’s Norse Saga Will End With Ragnarok
SonyGod of War Ragnarok’s preview at Sony’s recent PS5 showcase was well-received, but didn’t reveal a ton of new info past “this very much looks like a sequel to God of War,” which is all anyone really wanted to see. But one note that did stand out was the news that Ragnarok would actually be the end of the Norse saga of God of War, concluding this chapter for Kratos and Atreus after just two games.
It’s a far cry from what we saw in the original Greek mythology-based God of War series, where Kratos murdered gods and titans across three mainline games and other sub-adventures, while his journey into the Norse realm will be over after encountering just a handful of legends from that pantheon.
Cory Barlog explained why this was the case in a recent interview:
“One of the most important reasons is that the first game took five years. The second game is going to take close to a similar time to do this. A third one? We’re talking a span of close to 15 years on a single story, and I feel like that’s just too stretched out.”
Barlog goes on to explain that the core of the story is about Kratos and Atreus, and they felt like they could conclude that tale in two games without expanding “ripples in a pond” to an entire ocean’s worth of storytelling.
This speaks to how much game development has changed in terms of budget and years invested. The original God of War came out in 2005. By 2013, we had God of War 2, 3, Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta and Ascension. Now, rather than selling a new God of War sequel or spin-off every 2-3 years, Sony Santa Monica is taking great care to invest a ton into just…two core games in ten years, and end that saga there before moving on. The nature of the series has changed, game development and goals have changed for them along with it.
Of course, this isn’t to say God of War will be over for good. It’s far and away one of PlayStation’s most valuable IPs, particularly after how well-received the reboot was. Obviously a move forward could be Kratos moving on to a different collection of gods, or perhaps it could be something no one sees coming. But fundamentally, I don’t think fans need three full sequels and three spin-offs in order to fully explore “Norse Kratos,” and this ultimately seems like the right call being made here, even if we rarely see sagas end in anything less than a trilogy.
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