While the world continues to celebrate the success of Santa Monica Studios’ God Of War Ragnarok, internally, there’s a lot going on at the studio. From continued updates and addressing player and critic feedback, to planning for what comes next, the studio is busy, and if the words of Cory Barlog and Eric Williams, Directors of God Of War Ragnarok are anything to go by, then it’s an exciting time for fans and employees of the studio.
Speaking to the LA Times, Barlog and Williams shared some insights into the current goings at Santa Monica Studio, with Barlog sharing the juiciest nugget of all, saying that the studio is “spread out on a lot of different things.” Now of course, on top of all the items outlined above, rumours had swirled several years ago about Barlog heading a team that was supposedly working on a science fiction game. Whether that amounts to anything or not remains to be seen, but Williams wasn’t too concerned with another option transpiring either, one where Santa Monica Studio is considered to be a God Of War studio well into the future. Follow up from Barlog’s cryptic comments, Williams said,
I remember talking to someone from another game company, where they were trying to get me to leave. They said, ‘Do you just want to be known as the “God of War” guy for the rest of your life?’ That was your big pitch to dissuade me? Because yes, I kind of do.
The future of the God Of War IP unclear given the decisive end to the Nordic arc, but not the stories of many of the core cast, the door remains ajar to visit other corners of the world, to engage with other godly beings and potentially devastate all that theyve built too. God Of War rapidly approaches its 20th anniversary as a franchise, and with it having been essentially the sole work of the studio for that time, there will surely be some of the mind that its time for change within the studio, while others may be of a similar mind as Williams, and they could happily keep working on the God Of War franchise for many years to come. Of course there is also the possibility that both of these scenarios could be the reality with the team split in half to work on a new IP and God Of War; perhaps both Barlog and Williams will get their wishes.