It is clear to see why God of War Ragnarok was so well-received by fans, with the record-breaking title matching and exceeding the expectations set by its 2018 predecessor in the eyes of many. Forwarding the story of Kratos and Atreus, the Norse focus of the title opens up a huge breadth of potential narrative threads that are ripe for further exploration.
Given the scope and influence of God of War Ragnarok, there is no reason to suggest that the title could not follow the recent trend of multimedia adaptations across things like TV and film, and the game actually has the perfect contextual launching point for these potential new narratives. The character of Mimir is now synonymous with the franchise, and the intense knowledge that the figure possesses could be a great way to introduce anthological short stories that branch off the main God of War narrative.
The Recent Trend of Multimedia Gaming Adaptations
In recent years, the concept of adapting beloved video gaming entities to film and TV has exploded in frequency and popularity, with many high-profile gaming franchises getting big-budget adaptations for different streaming services. For example, both Halo and Resident Evil recently received live-action series for Paramount Plus and Netflix respectively, to varying levels of fan reception and success.
More recently, however, The Last of Us debuted the first season of a live-action show via HBO, which so far is proving to be a massive success for the service. With many lauding the respect and dedication that the show places on its video game source material, the importance of a detailed and immersive narrative within a game franchise is seemingly imperative in how it can be adapted to TV.
Mimir and a God of War Animated Show
Given the massive upturn in multimedia adaptations for video games, there is no reason to suggest that a TV adaptation of God of War Ragnarok would not also be a proportionate success when compared to the likes of HBO's The Last of Us. While many fans have long debated the potential of a live-action show or film for God of War, there is great potential in an animated adaptation that may initially go under the radar.
The character of Mimir in God of War is an integral one within the recent narratives of the franchise, appearing extensively in 2018's God of War as well as the more recent 2022 title. Within the lore of Norse mythology that the franchise often associates itself with, Mimir is renowned for his wisdom and vast memory, with his name literally translating to "the rememberer" in modern English.
With this in mind, Mimir would be the perfect candidate to narrate and introduce a series of unrelated stories that would be best suited to an anthological animated show. Firstly, the role that Mimir plays within the recent God of War games would be a great pull factor for curious fans of the franchise towards this potential animated show, while the great wisdom of the character makes sense lore-wise for the storytelling role that he would play.
These stories could range massively, telling wider tales of Norse mythology within the God of War universe, or even conveying tales of Kratos and Atreus from the games via a stylized animated lens. Given the intense cultural influence of God of War Ragnarok and the contemporary trend of multimedia adaptations for games, an animated show based on the franchise with Mimir in a storytelling role seems like a perfect combination.
God of War Ragnarok is available now on PS4 and PS5.
