The newly announced remakes of God of War, God of War 2, and God of War 3 make me a bit worried about the future of the series. Like many other fans, I have been loudly requesting over the past year (or more) that I would love to see the original Greek God of War games brought back on PS5 in one way or another. To see that it’s finally happening, and in the form of a remake, no less, is more than I could have ever hoped for.
Despite this, I’m a bit concerned about what this remake of the God of War trilogy could mean for the next mainline installment in the series. It has now been over three years since the launch of God of War Ragnarok, which leads me to believe that the follow-up to Ragnarok would be somewhat close to being unveiled. Instead, I’m now left thinking that a sequel to Ragnarok might not end up happening at all, as this new remake project could be the main focus at Santa Monica Studio for the foreseeable future.
A God of War Ragnarok Sequel Now Seems Less Likely
At the conclusion of God of War Ragnarok, it seemed apparent that Santa Monica Studio was leaving the door open for another entry in the series. Not only did Kratos survive the events of Ragnarok itself, but he had now become the God of Hope, and would begin looking to rebuild the Norse world. While the story of Kratos could easily be left at this point, the clear implication is that he would return in some capacity in a future game.
Outside of Kratos, Atreus also had the stage set for his own adventures moving forward. Atreus had grown into a man by the conclusion of Ragnarok and it seemed like he was primed to become either the new protagonist of the franchise or, at the very least, star in a spin-off series.
Although both Kratos and Atreus could return in new God of War games moving forward, I have a hard time seeing Santa Monica being able to juggle so much with the property at a single time. Remaking the first three God of War titles is not a small endeavor by any means and is surely going to take up a lot of the developer’s time in the years ahead. While SMS could feasibly have done a simple remaster of God of War 1-3, it has instead opted for a more complex project that will be far more demanding. Because of this, the potential for a God of War Ragnarok sequel now seems like it could have been kicked years down the road.
Santa Monica Studio Is Already Focused on Other Projects
What makes the next mainline God of War game even more unlikely to come about soon is that Santa Monica Studio has already been toiling away on what’s widely assumed to be a new IP. God of War director Cory Barlog teased as far back as 2021 that he was working on something entirely different within the studio. This project has yet to be revealed, but it’s expected to launch at some point in the next year or two, or at the very least, before the conclusion of the PS5 generation.
With this in mind, we now know two major projects that Santa Monica Studio is working on. This new IP is surely the main focus of much of the studio at the moment, while work on the God of War remakes sounds like it’s in pre-production. Given the staff size of Santa Monica Studio, it’s highly unlikely that the company is able to simultaneously work on a sequel to Ragnarok.
At best, work on the next mainline God of War game wouldn’t begin happening until this new project from Santa Monica ships. Even then, though, there’s no guarantee that this new God of War title would become the studio’s next endeavor. If this new IP were to become a massive success for PlayStation, then a sequel would surely be considered. Then we enter a situation where a sequel to Ragnarok might not get greenlit until after these remakes see the light of day, which may not happen until the 2030s.
God of War Will Continue to Be a Priority for PlayStation No Matter What
Even though I do worry that the choice to make these God of War remakes will delay continuing the story of Kratos, it’s clear that this franchise is going to remain a major priority for PlayStation. Other than Gran Turismo, God of War is the top-selling game series that PlayStation owns. Many of the sales that contribute to this success also stem directly from God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok, which makes it apparent that PlayStation will surely want a new installment before long.
In the interim, we may end up seeing more projects like God of War: Sons of Sparta come about. The stealth-released 2D action game tells the story of a much younger Kratos and is in a completely different style when compared to the other games. While I doubt we’ll get a ton of offshoots like Sons of Sparta in the years to come, releases like this could become more of the norm as PlayStation looks to continue engaging God of War fans between mainline titles.
Despite some trepidation, I am truly excited about the future of God of War. The thought of replaying the three games that made the series so popular in the first place with improved visuals and upgraded gameplay is something I never really expected that we’d get. Still, even if these God of War remakes end up being awesome, I hope they don’t come at the cost of the next game in the franchise being pushed out by a decade or more.
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