New Kratos-Led God of War Game Announced at SDCC

In June, following the reveal of the Faye-starring next chapter of God of War, Santa Monica Studio discussed Kratos’ future as the figurehead of its flagship franchise. Speaking in an interview uploaded to PlayStation’s YouTube channel, Barlog said that “there’s always going to be Kratos games” — a position backed up by a later post from the company’s official social media account, which stated that the studio had “many more stories to tell with him.”

Early reaction to God of War Laufey has been mixed, with some fans praising the game’s combat and visuals, while others have criticized the simplistic gameplay seen in Laufey’s opening section — and, predictably, the fact that fan-favorite Kratos wasn’t center stage. (For a full catch-up, we’ve got an explainer on Faye herself for more on her story.)

“Faye is, while it’s a different thing, it’s still part of the larger tapestry of what we truly really want to explore, all of these different characters in there,” Barlog said of the new game. “But there’s always going to be Kratos games, like, throughout the whole history. We’re super excited about that.”

“Oh for sure,” added Lawrence. “We can’t not tell stories about the big guy.”

Our first glimpse at God of War Laufey, seen in a 20-minute gameplay segment aired at the end of June’s PlayStation State of Play showcase, began with Kratos and Atreus burning Faye’s body — as seen in 2018’s God of War. Kratos then pops up again shortly after, aiding Faye while she’s briefly imprisoned. It remains unclear if Kratos will make any other appearances before Laufey’s credits roll, or if these brief glimpses of the hero are it, as he’s then busy with the events of God of War Ragnarök.

“Kratos is the God of War – we have many more stories to tell with him,” Santa Monica Studio’s official X/Twitter account wrote in a post. “For now, we’re excited to take fans on a journey into the afterlife of the gods with Faye and hope you’ll come along for the ride!”

Of course, Santa Monica Studio has also announced a remake of the God of War Greek trilogy remake — which will see Kratos back in the spotlight. The original God of War launched back in 2005 for PS2, with its sequel arriving two years later. God of War 3, for PS3, then debuted in 2010. No release date for the God of War Trilogy Remake was announced, and work is still in its “early stages.”

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.