God Of War Ragnarok is only a few days away, and as of the time of writing the hype train has hit fever pitch with reviews from outlets all over the globe being unanimously positive. Now that the good word is out, the developers at Santa Monica Studio have begun to speak out about the development of the game, what drove it, and what makes it tick. One of the important inspirations for God Of War Ragnarok is what CD Projekt Red achieved with their work on the beloved The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, and as it turns out, the game’s myriad of incredible side-quests served as a significant inspiration for the God Of War development team, with the game being the bar of quality that they sought to exceed.
Gene Park of The Washington Post was one of the many critics who heaped praise upon the game, but it was one quote in particular, “God of War Ragnarok has finally dethroned The Witcher 3 with the best side quests I’ve played in an adventure game. The game’s coolest fights, most heartfelt stories and grandest areas are in the side quests. Do not skip them.” that caught the attention of Anthony DiMento, Santa Monica Studios’ lead Player Investment Designer. DiMento quote-tweeted Park, saying “This was the goal I set for the optional content in #GodofWarRagnarok. The Witcher 3 is one of my favorite games of all time… It didn’t seem possible, but this was literally the goal. Reading this felt amazing.”
It wasn’t just DiMento who had felt the impact of Park’s words, Luis Sanchez, Santa Monica Studios’ Lead Level Designer on God Of War Ragnarok, saying “As the Level Lead on the exploration content the recognition means so much. We pour everything into every inch of this game. The team doesn’t treat it as just side content, everything is crafted to enhance the world and player experience. So proud of what we accomplished.”
With The Witcher III: Wild Hunt having for more than half a decade been looked upon as the high watermark for mission and side-mission design, it’s great to see developers recognising the impact of that game and now, in the case of God Of War Ragnarok, start to exceed the accomplishments of the nearly eight year old game.
God Of War Ragnarok is launching this Wednesday, November 9, 2022, on both the PS4 and PS5
