Think about the entertainment world as a whole. TV shows, movies, video games, music, etc. What is the one thing you never want to see? Bad content is an obvious but fair answer, but there’s another that people have seen quite a bit of over the last several years: unnecessary content. By this, we’re referring to how certain series and franchises “keep going” long after they’ve hit their peak, even though they’re not offering anything new. They “churn out content” to make money, and the quality is proof of that. You don’t have to fear that happening with the next God Of War title, though, as the team knows this is the end of the saga.
Funnily enough, that’s a stark contrast from how the series began. Because on the PS2/PS3/PSP/PS Vita, there may have only been three numbered titles, but there were a lot of spinoffs, including ones that didn’t add much to the story. Yet, there are only two games for this PS4/PS5 saga. First came the “reboot” title on PS4, then there’s the upcoming God Of War Ragnarok on PS5.
Some gamers expected a trilogy for this new generation of systems, but it wasn’t to be, and that was the call of Santa Monica Studio. In a new behind-the-series video series for the upcoming title, the team at Santa Monica revealed that a debate went on to see if the new game would be the end of the story or the middle of it:
“Whether the Norse saga was going to be a trilogy or just two games was something we debated a lot,” said lead writer Rich Gaubery. “There were obviously pros and cons for either approach.”
Indeed. With three games, you can flesh out the story more, ensure you’re not rushing content, and give yourself some wiggle room in case something goes wrong. However, with a two-part story, you’re telling everything you want in fewer games, cutting out the filler, and don’t have to stress about topping another hit entry.
The deciding vote was from the long-time head of the franchise, Cory Balrog. His answer to the question was, “Let’s do it in two.”
Even with that answer, development was not easy. Another team member noted that once they agreed upon this game being the end, they had to figure out how to end it in a justified manner. They wanted to make this title grand and beautiful, and now they had to accomplish that while knowing there wouldn’t be another title to help them.
As a result, the game was more extensive than their initial plans. They note how there is more story, more characters to get invested in, and that the answers to major questions teased in the first game will come to pass.
God of War Ragnarok arrives on PS5 on November 9th.
Source: VGC
