Even two years on, as it first released on April 20, 2018, God of War is still looked back on as one of the best experiences of the PS4 generation. Although the blockbuster first-party Sony series established itself as a hit franchise with the debut PS2 title of the same name in 2005, the series almost could have been on its way out of stardom before the hit 2018 game dropped on PS4. Still, God of War developer Sony Santa Monica pulled through and put out a game for the ages, saving the series from the grasp of obscurity and setting it up for more future iterations for the next generation.
Though unconfirmed as a game for the time being, God of War 2 will likely drop on the PS5 within the next couple of years and has the potential to be just as widely acclaimed as its 2018 predecessor. Although there is a significant risk to Sony’s finances and reputation with the development of GOW 2 dependent on the outcome (as is true with the development of any game of this size), this game still at least has the established roots of its predecessors to fall back on. As for whether or not GOW’s success is a blessing or a curse, only the developers will know.
Before 2018’s God of War
The decision to soft-reboot the God of War series was incredibly risky for Sony, especially since it seemed that interest in the GOW series was waning before the game was revealed. The last mainline game before 2018 was God of WarAscension in 2013. The difference between GOWAscension and 2018’s GOW is the same difference between how Sony Santa Monica operated back then versus now. Although a risky project in itself, GOWAscension was also the safe option for Sony; developing a linear hack-and-slash action-adventure game was still par for the course for Sony Santa Monica.
However, this safe option didn’t exactly result in a blow-out success like in 2018. GOWAscension currently sits at a Metacritic score of 80, compared to 2018’s score of 94. The studio’s decision to focus on multiplayer - a first for the series and a general trend of the time, meant to bolster player retention - is often cited as the reason people felt that the game was a bit unoriginal. When the studio decided to reexamine the tenets of the God of War series, it took what made the games work and expanded on these ideas to build a straightforward, story-based game.
What This Means for God of War 2
Sony and Santa Monica are, presumably, working on God of War 2 for the PS5, and it could prove to be just as risky a project as its predecessor. There are multiple reasons why the risk behind 2018’s God of War ended up paying off. For one, one of the most common complaints among the original games was that Kratos was a one-note character who was angry all the time and had no other motivations besides unrepentant vengeance. There was certainly a risk in changing his personality, but it ended up working wondrously, as he went from being an angry loner to becoming a convincingly concerned father.
The change in setting from mythological Greece to mythological Norse Realm for God of War was also a huge risk but ended up being one of the biggest reasons why 2018’s GOW felt so fresh. Even though God of War 2 on PS5 is likely to take place within the same realm, if Santa Monica can build upon these risks that ended up paying off then it could very well see another major success, this time for PS5. Basically, the series needs to focus on its killer gameplay, its expanded environments, and the continuing development of Kratos and Atreus as characters.
God of War 2 on PS5 has the potential to be even more special than 2018’s God of War. If it continues to build on these newly established tenets of the series, then it could continue the series’ success well into the future. Until any official reveal, fans will have to settle for PS5 and God of War 2 rumors.
God of War 2 is rumored to be in development for the PS5.
