God of War Ragnarök is officially coming to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on November 9, 2022!
We’re thrilled be able to share our release date and the brand-new God of War Ragnarök – Father and Son CG Trailer with all the God of War fans who have been eagerly awaiting news. We hope you’ve enjoyed a glimpse at some of the dangers Kratos and Atreus could find themselves up against as Ragnarök approaches.
God of War Collector’s Edition Unboxed
Don’t miss the official unboxing of the God of War Ragnarök Collector’s Editions with Thor actor Ryan Hurst and Santa Monica Studio Art Director Rafael Grassetti.
If you’d like to check out all the different editions of God of War Ragnarök, including the pre-order bonuses, before pre-order begins on July 15, 2022 at 10:00 am Local Time (10am Eastern Time for North America), learn more in this PlayStation Blog article.
For the latest updates on God of War, make sure you follow Santa Monica Studio on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Check out a gallery of stills from the new CG trailer below:
The winds of Fimbulwinter have already begun the blow and Ragnarök is coming.
On November 9, 2022, to be exact!
Before pre-orders for God of War Ragnarök open July 15, 2022 at 10:00 am Local Time (10am Eastern Time for North America), we’ll take you through all the editions of the game, as well as the launch edition items.
Unboxing the God of War Ragnarök Collector’s and Jötnar Editions
Ryan Hurst, the motion capture and voice actor of Thor, and Santa Monica Studio Art Director Rafael Grassetti, are here to take you on a tour of the God of War Ragnarök Collector’s and Jötnar Editions.
For an in-depth look at each of the items and some of the background behind their creation, check out the unboxing video below.
Now let’s look at each of the editions in turn.
God of War Ragnarök – Launch Edition Items
When you purchase God of War Ragnarök before launch, you will receive the Kratos Risen Snow Armor and the Atreus Risen Snow Tunic (cosmetic).*
*God of War Ragnarök Launch Edition, Collector’s Edition, and Jötnar Edition include a voucher code to redeem select God of War Ragnarök digital bonuses. Account for PlayStation Network, and internet connection required for code redemption. Unlock in-game items via story progression.
God of War Ragnarök – Standard Edition
The God of War Ragnarök Standard Edition (digital and physical) comes with the full game for either PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5.
If you purchase the God of War Ragnarök standard edition for PlayStation 4, you can upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version for $10 USD (or currency equivalent).
God of War Ragnarök – Digital Deluxe Edition
Included in the God of War Ragnarök Digital Deluxe Edition, you will receive:
Full God of War Ragnarök game on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.
Kratos Darkdale Armor**
Atreus Darkdale Attire (cosmetic)**
Darkdale Blades Handles for the Blades of Chaos**
Darkdale Axe Grip for the Leviathan Axe**
Official God of War Ragnarök Digital Soundtrack
Dark Horse Digital Mini Artbook
Avatar Set
PlayStation 4 Theme
**Unlock in-game items via story progression.
God of War Ragnarök – Collector’s Edition
As you’ve seen in the above video, the God of War Ragnarök Collector’s Edition comes housed in a beautiful box representing the Knowledge Keeper’s Shrine. This shrine was of the triptychs that Kratos and Atreus came across in God of War (2018), depicting the tale of a powerful seer, the Giant Sorceress called Gróa, who was the first to have a vision of Ragnarök.
Opening the Shrine, you’ll find the following:
Printed voucher code for the full God of War Ragnarök game on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.*
A Steelbook Display Case (no game disc included) – The God of War Ragnarök Steelbook Display Case depicts renditions of the Bear and the Wolf.
2” Vanir Twins Carvings – In the same style as Atreus’ wooden toy carvings of the Huldra Brothers from the God of War (2018) Collector’s Edition, the God of War Ragnarök Collector’s Edition completes the set with carvings of the Vanir Twins.
Dwarven Dice Set – This set comes with a set of dice with a quality wood-like finish in a dice bag with a symbol of Yggdrasil on the outside.
16” Mjölnir Replica – A highly detailed replica of Thor’s signature weapon from God of War Ragnarök.
Also included in the Collector’s Edition are the following digital items*:
Kratos Darkdale Armor**
Atreus Darkdale Attire (cosmetic)**
Darkdale Blades Handles for the Blades of Chaos**
Darkdale Axe Grip for the Leviathan Axe**
Official God of War Ragnarök Digital Soundtrack
Dark Horse Digital Mini Artbook
Avatar Set
PlayStation 4 Theme
*Account for PlayStation Network and internet connection required for code redemption.
**Unlock in-game items via story progression.
God of War Ragnarök – Jötnar Edition
The God of War Ragnarök Jötnar Edition is a premium selection of items designed with care by our team here at Santa Monica Studio to be a collector’s set worthy of our amazing fans. You’ve seen it unboxed in the video above, but we’ll also run you through its contents here.
Inside the Knowledge Keeper’s Shrine, you’ll receive:
Printed voucher code for the full God of War Ragnarök game on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.*
7-Inch Vinyl Record with music by Bear McCreary – This includes two tracks from composer Bear McCreary.
The Falcon, Bear, and Wolf Pin Set – Representing Faye, Kratos, and Atreus respectively, this pin set symbolizes our heroes’ family.
The Legendary Draupnir Ring – A ring from Norse Mythology, the Legendary Draupnir Ring comes in a red cloth bag.
Brok’s Dice Set – This dice setcomes with a metallic silver finish with blue detailing. The dice bag features the Huldra Brothers’ brand.
Yggdrasil Cloth Map – This cloth map shows each of the Nine Realms within the branches and roots of Yggdrasil.
A Steelbook Display Case (no game disc included)
2” Vanir Twins Carvings
16” Mjölnir Replica
Also included in the Jötnar Edition are the following digital items*:
Kratos Darkdale Armor**
Atreus Darkdale Attire (cosmetic) **
Darkdale Blades Handles for the Blades of Chaos**
Darkdale Axe Grip for the Leviathan Axe**
Official God of War Ragnarök Digital Soundtrack
Dark Horse Digital Mini Artbook
Avatar Set
PlayStation 4 Theme
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look into the different editions of God of War Ragnarök that will be available for pre-order starting July 15, 2022 at 10:00 am Local Time (10am Eastern Time for North America).
*God of War Ragnarök Launch Edition, Collector’s Edition, and Jötnar Edition include a voucher code to redeem select God of War Ragnarök digital bonuses. Account for PlayStation Network, and internet connection required for code redemption.
**Unlock in-game items via story progression.
God of War Ragnarök – Father and Son CG Trailer
To celebrate our release date announcement, we’ve also revealed the brand-new God of War Ragnarök – Father and Son CG Trailer! To see a glimpse of the dangers Kratos and Atreus could find themselves up against as Ragnarök approaches, make sure you watch it in this PlayStation Blog article.
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Between now and November 9, we can’t wait to show you more of what’s awaiting Kratos and Atreus in the Nine Realms as Ragnarök draws closer!
For the latest updates on God of War, make sure you follow Santa Monica Studio on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The prophecy of Ragnarök brings changes to all the Realms, and with that, we’re excited to announce some new accessibility features that will be available in God of War Ragnarök.
Not only have we redesigned our UI to allow for more flexibility and readability, butwe have also rebuilt controller remapping from the ground up and added more customization to our combat and interaction systems. We have retained all our accessibility features from 2018’s God of War and expanded upon them to include more than 60 ways to adjust gameplay to best suit your style and needs.
Here’s a selection of some new and notable features.
God of War (2018) PC Features – Added to God of War Ragnarök
For God of War (2018) on PC, we made sure to improve and continue to iterate on popular features from the initial PlayStation release. We’re pleased to be continuing to support these features in God of War Ragnarök on PS4 and PS5:
Sprint Auto Sprint: You will sprint while the stick is held and stop when released. When Auto Sprint is active, you can begin sprinting by pressing the move stick forward for a short period of time in one direction. The duration required to engage the Auto Sprint is configurable by you.
Persistent Dot (Always on Reticle): If you need additional focal points to reduce motion sickness, or just want a persistent reminder of the center of the screen, we offer the ability to turn on a center dot in three different sizes and seven different colors.
Aim Style: You can choose to use either hold or toggle on/off the aim stance.
Block Style: You can choose to use either hold or toggle on/off the shield stance.
New to God of War Ragnarök
Subtitle and Caption Improvements
We have invested heavily in improving our subtitle and caption system to allow for even more customization and information.
Subtitle and Caption Size: We have increased our minimum text size and added new scaling. This includes an extra-large text size to make subtitles and captions more readable. We have also dedicated a larger text area to match TV and movie subtitle standards.
Subtitle and Caption Colors: You can adjust the colors of speaker names, subtitle body, and captions individually. You will be able choose between seven different colors.
Speaker Names (Retained options from 2018): As in God of War (2018), you can show or hide speaker names. You can set this size independent from the UI text size.
Captions: With expanded sound effects captions, we’ve added several new ways to understand in-game sound. We’ve added captions to both cinematics and gameplay to provide a rich understanding of the soundscape of the world. You can also enable captions for critical gameplay information to assist with puzzles and narrative understanding.
Subtitle and Caption Background Blur: We’ve included options to allow for blurring the background behind subtitles and captions to make them more readable over complex scenes.
Subtitle Background (Retained options from 2018): In addition to blur, we’ve included options to darken the background behind subtitles for better readability on snow. High contrast backing includes multiple opacity settings for you to select from.
Direction Indicator: Critical gameplay sounds now have an optional direction indicator which shows the direction a sound is coming from. To assist with puzzles that have sound cues, this indicator will help you orient towards the source of an important sound.
Text Size / Icon Size
The highly requested feature from God of War (2018) is back and better than ever! You asked for a comfortable reading experience when playing from a couch, so we listened. With a fully re-engineered and responsive UI, and a larger minimum text size that can scale significantly, reading on-screen text is easier than ever.
Here’s a look at our Default and XX-Large game wide UI Text scaling for reference.
Top: Default UI Text Size, Bottom: XX-Large UI Text Size
We also have two examples to share of the in-game icon scaling with smallest and largest options available to choose from.
Left: Small UI Icon Size, Right: X-Large UI Icon Size
Controller Remapping
We have rebuilt our controller remapping system to allow you to customize your button configurations in God of War Ragnarök. There will be a wide range of preset layouts, as well as custom controller remapping support. Individual buttons can be swapped and, for select complex actions, you can choose alternate configurations from a preset list.
We offer multiple ways for you to customize your experience for certain actions that require more than one button, including Touch Pad Shortcuts for things like Spartan Rage, Navigation Assist, and Quick Turn.
High Contrast Mode
Our new high contrast color-mode allows you to apply a color to objects in-game like targets, enemies, and other characters, in addition to a variety of item types. When active, this will apply a color layer to characters that will make them more visible against the background. You can optionally desaturate the background to further increase the contrast. Traversal paint, loot items, and special effects can also be made more visible in this mode.
High Contrast Activation Customization: Select off, on, or always on for gameplay only (this will exclude cinematics). High contrast mode can be set to toggle on and off from a swipe for easy access. This mode will automatically disable when in a settings menu or character menu.
High Contrast Color Customization: Select a color palette that fits your playstyle and adjust individual colors for characters, enemies, and items.
High Contrast Background Customization: Separately select mid-tone or darkened background contrast levels.
Navigation Assist: New to God of War, this camera navigation system allows you to orient your view towards your compass objective. When not in combat, pressing the Navigation Assist button will orient your view in the direction of the next story goal.
Traversal Assistance: Gap jumping, vaulting, mantling, and other traversal features can now be automated based on the direction you press.
Assistance +: Adds interaction-based moves like climbs, crawls, and squeeze-through.
Audio Cues: We have linked a sound cue to each of the on-screen interact prompts, so that when using this feature, you can hear when an interact icon is nearby, as well as when the button prompt becomes active.
Audio cues extend to additional combat cues like unblockable attack rings, targeting aim cues, and weapon swap cues. The volume of audio cues can be adjusted separately from other volume sliders, so you can adjust for your own comfort.
God of War Ragnarök Reveal Trailer – Audio Described Version
To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we also wanted to provide an audio described version of the God of War Ragnarök reveal trailer that came out last year!*
More to Come!
We hope you’ve enjoyed a look into this selection of the 60+ accessibility features that will be included in God of War Ragnarök.
We are committed to improving accessibility and customization for everyone. We can’t wait to tell you details about our other categories of accessibility features like combat/aim assists, puzzle/minigame assists, HUD adjustments, camera tuning, auto pick up, and much more.
We are so thankful for all the support from our accessibility consultants and the greater accessibility community for sharing their thoughts to make God of War Ragnarök the most accessible God of War ever. We can’t wait to share more with you as we get closer to launch.
The world of Horizon Forbidden West is grand in scale, but as you explore, you’ll uncover many smaller secrets buried throughout its landscapes. Some of the most unexpected discoveries are three mysterious relics referencing Midgard, the mythical realm featured in a certain Norse action-adventure game from Santa Monica Studios.
At Guerrilla, we love to collaborate with and nod to our fellow PlayStation Studios. That’s why, hidden throughout the Forbidden West, these special War Totems pay homage to key characters.
The world of Horizon Forbidden West is grand in scale, but as you explore, you’ll uncover many smaller secrets buried throughout its landscapes. Some of the most unexpected discoveries are three mysterious relics referencing Midgard, the mythical realm featured in a certain Norse action-adventure game from Santa Monica Studio.
At Guerrilla, we love to collaborate with and nod to our fellow PlayStation Studios. That’s why, hidden throughout the Forbidden West, these special War Totems pay homage to key characters.
By finding all three of these carved wooden figures, you’ll unlock access to a unique cosmetic bonus for Aloy: the legendary Mark of War face paint worn by Kratos himself.
Every one of these collectibles was placed in the world with careful consideration by our development team. While we’ll leave it to you to find their exact locations, we hope this peek behind the scenes will give you an idea of where to begin your search.
We begin with an homage to Kratos’ iconic weapon, the Leviathan Axe. Off a beaten path, Aloy can find the fearsome battleaxe buried in a tree. Scanning it with her Focus reveals a trail to an abandoned cabin, mirroring Kratos’ home. Within, the small Totem of War bears Kratos’ likeness.
The Totem of Youth is close to an iconic landmark. As you approach, you will discover it is defended fiercely by a machine that holds a likeness to the creature that watches over Helheim, a specific reference to Atreus.
Finally, the Totem of Brotherhood is found in a Cauldron-like structure on an island, reminiscent of one of the locations of Brok and Sindri’s forge. We chose this location because the Huldra Brothers are a Norse equivalent to the Greek god Hephaestus (the namesake of Horizon Forbidden West’s machine-forging AI).
“We wanted these to be standalone, hidden easter eggs, which were intentionally more difficult to find than our other collectible sets,” remarks Elijah Houck, Senior World Designer at Guerrilla. “As a result, we decided not to give them map markers or quest tracking so that the player could stumble upon them naturally and draw their own conclusions about what the various callbacks are meant to represent.”
Now that you know the story behind Horizon Forbidden West’s War Totems, we hope you’re inspired to load up the game and do a little Easter egg hunting. And if you’ve already found them, be sure to share your best shots of Aloy and the totems on social media using #BeyondTheHorizon!
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Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.
Tomorrow on January 14, God of War (2018) launches on PC. To ensure you’re ready, we’ve released our PC system requirements and features – be sure to check them both out.
Ultrawide trailer
One of the unique PC features that we’re very excited about is the 21:9 ultra-widescreen support that will allow you to play the game with an incredibly unique theatrical feel. Take a look below:
We can’t wait to see your ultrawide screen shots!
Nine Realms survival guide
With our release on the PC, we’re hoping that many new players will be able to experience Kratos and Atreus’ story for the first time. To help you get started, we’ve put together some beginner tips that will prepare you for the journey to come.
Don’t forget your Boy
Atreus may be young, but he’s one of your best assets in combat. As your journey progresses, Atreus will grow stronger and gain access to abilities that can make all the difference in your toughest fights like being able to stun monsters, bring Kratos back from the brink of death, and unleash powerful magical abilities along with his bow attacks.
Atreus has three different gear sets that can synergize with your playstyle. Make sure you’re equipping him to best support Kratos’ needs in combat. At their first tier, the sets have the following effects:
Sharpshooter Garb: Lower the Talon Bow recharge time. Aimed shots fired at enemies in the air deal extra damage.
Fighter Tunic: Boosts melee damage and exposes enemy weakness. Choked enemies will take increased damage.
Runic Vestment: Increased recovery speed from enemy attacks and provides Healthstone assistance. When Kratos is injured, Atreus has a chance to find Healthstones.
Upgrading Atreus’ abilities and equipment will be as important as upgrading Kratos, invest in his progression early and often!
Friendly Favors
In God of War, there are side quests called Favors. Some let you get to know your allies better, like helping the blacksmith brothers Brok and Sindri, while others will let you journey deeper into the rich Norse mythology of the world.
All offer rewards that will help you in battle. Alongside the XP you’ll earn, many of the Favors will also give you equipment and ability upgrades.
Earn XP with the Labors of Kratos
Labors are tracked activities that will reward you for interacting with the world and playing the game. Completing them will grant you a big chunk of XP, so they’re great for leveling up. They’ll also encourage you to switch up your playstyle, try out new tactics, and explore the world.
Labors come in four different categories:
World: Engaging with the world by completing activities like closing Realm Tears and finding Hidden Chambers.
Crafting: Crafting and upgrading your gear.
Skill: Killing enemies in a specific way, like lighting them on fire or performing parries.
Kill: Defeating a certain amount of an enemy type.
Bestiary combat tactics
Atreus will keep notes of all the enemies you face in the Codex. Not only is it a great way to track the information you learn on important figures and the realms themselves, the Bestiary section will also provide helpful gameplay tips on the weakness of monsters. Enemies are not one-size-fits-all, if you’re having difficulty with a certain type of creature, make sure you check Atreus’ notes for tips on how to dispatch them.
Understand your Gear stats
Your combat style can greatly benefit from the gear that you equip. Once you figure out the type of gameplay you like, there will be gearsets that help you excel in that area.
Whether you want to focus on standard attacks, your runic abilities, or a mix of both – understanding your gear stats will help you decide which pieces to invest in.
Strength: Increases the damage for all standard attacks.
Runic: Increase both Runic Attack and Elemental Damage.
Defense: Reduces all damage taken.
Vitality: Increases maximum health and decreases the severity of hit reactions from enemy attacks.
Luck: Increases Perk activation chance. Increases XP and Hacksilver gains.
Cooldown: Reduces recharge time of Runic Attacks, Runic Summons, and Talismans.
Certain gearsets will also be better for a specific playstyle, make sure you find the one that works best for you!If you would like to pre-purchase God of War for PC, it is available on both the Steam and Epic Game Store.
We’re thrilled to announce that God of War (2018) will be coming to PC on January 14, 2022! All of us at Santa Monica Studio have been humbled by the immense amount of support and passions fans of the God of War series have shown in the latest chapter of Kratos’ story since its release. As of August 2021, 19.5MM copies for God of War on PlayStation 4 have been sold through and we can’t wait to share that experience with a whole new group of players on PC.
Our primary goal when bringing God of War to PC was to highlight the exceptional content the team created and leverage the powerful hardware that the platform offers to create a uniquely breathtaking and high-performance version of the game.
You’ll be able to enjoy the full potential of our cinematic, no-cut camera as it follows Kratos and Atreus across the realms with the option of true 4k resolution, on supported devices, and unlocked framerates.
Our PC version includes a wide range of graphical presets and options so you can fine-tune your visual experience based on your setup. From higher resolution shadows and improved screen space reflections to enhancements to the ambient occlusion pipeline with GTAO and SSDO – God of War on the PC can create striking visual quality unique to the platform.
We’re also happy to announce that we will have full integration with NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) available on RTX. You won’t have to sacrifice high graphical settings and output resolutions for high performance in God of War.
In addition to DLSS we will also have NVIDIA Reflex low latency technology available. Reflex delivers a more responsive experience allowing you to react quicker and hit harder combos.
Alongside the graphic and performance improvements, we are also offering 21:9 ultra-widescreen support.
From the heart-pumping clashes in combat to the quiet moments where you can take in the otherworldly beauty of the Norse wilds across the Nine Realms, our panoramic widescreen support will make every moment feel more like a truly theatrical experience.
Our plans for God of War on PC include robust controller support and keyboard mapping customization.
For those of you who would prefer a controller, we will support DualShock 4 and DualSense wireless controllers in addition to a wide range of other gamepads.
For our keyboard and mouse players, you will be able to fully customize the bindings to create a control setup that works best for you.
Finally, the purchase of God of War on PC will also contain the following digital content:
Death’s Vow Armor Sets for Kratos and Atreus
Exile’s Guardian Shield Skin
Buckler of the Forge Shield Skin
Shining Elven Soul Shield Skin
Dökkenshieldr Shield Skin
That’s all we’ve got for now. We’ll have more details to share over the next few months as we get closer to release on January 14, 2022.
We appreciate your continued support of God of War and hope that this version of the game will create a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience for returning and new God of War fans alike.
If you would like to pre-purchase God of War for PC, it is now available on both Steam and Epic Games Store.
We couldn’t be more excited here at Santa Monica Studio to finally share our first real look at God of War Ragnarök with all the fans who have been very patiently waiting for an update!
As you can see in the trailer, we’re picking up a few years after the events of God of War (2018). The freezing winds of Fimbulwinter have come to Midgard, making survival for Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir in the Norse wilds even more challenging than before.
While the last game built an enormous amount of trust and understanding between father and son, there is still a great deal of complexity in their interactions – especially after the revelation of Atreus’ Giant heritage and the hidden prophecy only Kratos saw.
Atreus is desperately curious. Like most young people, he wants to understand who he is more than anything. In this case, he wants to understand who he could be. The mystery of Loki’s role in the upcoming conflict is something that Atreus cannot let go of. He wants to keep his family safe, but Atreus also doesn’t want to stand by and do nothing while conflict consumes the Nine Realms.
Kratos, still bearing the knowledge of his past mistakes, wants to spare Atreus the bloody lessons he learned from his conflict with gods. He wants to keep his son safe, above all, and their confrontation with Baldur has vindicated the belief that only tragedy will come from further entanglements with the Aesir.
Together, Kratos and Atreus will have to make a choice about which path they will take. Whatever they choose will define the fate of all those living in the Nine Realms as Ragnarök approaches.
Agony and Vengeance
We show a brief look at two of the main antagonists you’ll face in God of War Ragnarök: Freya and Thor.
Because of Kratos’ actions at the end of the previous game, the once-ally-turned-enemy Freya has sworn vengeance for the death of her son, Baldur.
We wanted to remind players that Freya isn’t just a terrifyingly powerful user of Vanir magic, but also that she’s a formidable warrior in her own right. Enraged by Kratos’ evasion of justice by her hand, Freya will turn every weapon at her disposal towards her son’s killer.
Also suffering the loss of his sons and half-brother, Thor’s legendary bloodlust and wrath will be aimed at Kratos and Atreus.
Referred to disparagingly by Mimir as the “Biggest Butchering Bastard in the Nine Realms,” Thor earned his title as one of the most powerful Aesir gods by wiping out nearly all the Giants at Odin’s command.
While we don’t want to give too much away right now, we think even a peek at Mjölnir wreathed in lightning will give you a hint at just how formidable Thor will be as an adversary.
You Have My Axe
It would not be God of War without a healthy serving of visceral and spectacular combat. You’ve been able to see just a hint of new attack abilities, a new Runic Summon for Atreus, and of course, the return of Kratos’ legendary weapons.
As a team we’ve worked hard to take our learnings from God of War (2018) and improve upon combat to feel fresh, yet familiar. With God of War Ragnarök, one of our main goals was to push player choice in combat. Whether it’s through hard hitting combos, a mastery of elements, or clever defensive tactics – you will find plenty of opportunity to fight alongside our duo in a way that feels uniquely expressive.
Whatever your choice of combat strategy, the enemies that await in God of War Ragnarök will be ready. The realms have grown harsher, and a whole host of new creatures from across Norse mythology will test your skills. From the trailer you can see what happens when Kratos finds himself under the hooves of the Stalker or grabbed between the jaws of a Dreki, and that’s just the beginning.
With an expanded cast of adversaries, we aim to keep each combat encounter memorable from the smallest brawls to the big show-stopper bosses! We can’t wait to show you more as we get closer to release.
Onward to Asgard
Fans who played the last game know they were able to visit six of the Nine Realms during their journey. In God of War Ragnarök, you will be able to visit all nine!
God of War Ragnarök will take you to the previously unreachable Vanaheim, Svartalfheim, and Asgard – as well as to new areas from locations featured in the last game. Exploring the realms will take you everywhere from verdant, otherworldly jungles to intricate subterranean mining networks.
This next installment in the series will bring you a more diverse, beautiful, and mysterious variety of locations than in any other God of War game.
See You Next Year!
We’re so happy to finally be able to share a small taste of what we’ve been working on over at Santa Monica Studio since the release of God of War in 2018.
As always, we’re fans of our fans. We can’t wait to see all the discussion, art, videos, and cosplay that you create. Make sure you tag us on social or use #GodOfWarRagnarok so we can see (and share) your amazing work!
Your support for the series and our studio has been a pillar of strength for us during every moment of development on this title. Thank you to everyone in the God of War community for continuing to believe in this project and our team. We can’t wait to share more as we get closer to the 2022 release of God of War Ragnarök on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
We’re halfway through the second month of 2021. And even while we continue to mop up side-quests and collectables, lose ourselves in multiplayer matches or battle our way to the endings of our most recent wave of games, we already have one eye on what titles are coming over the horizon for PlayStation in the months and years ahead. And who better to ask what’s exciting them the most than the creatives behind the very games we’ve been enjoying over the past year? Here are the upcoming PlayStation games that leading voices of the gaming industry can’t wait to play*.
Deathloop
As chosen by…
“Deathloop seems like a game that has an original concept and gameplay, very well tailored artistic direction and fast paced action. On top of that it’s made by a french studio!”
“It looks like a title with a great sense of style. I’m a big fan of the 70s retro aesthetic. And it’s going to be fascinating to see how the game blends competitive multiplayer with a story-driven campaign.”
– Ned Waterhouse, Designer Sumo Digital – Sackboy: A Big Adventure
“Dishonored is one of my favourite games of the last decade, and because of Dishonored, I now trust Arkane Studios with my life. Everything I have seen of Deathloop so far has made me excited to play it, from the combat to the style to the pace to the central conceit. I’m in.”
– Anthony Pepper, Senior Designer, Mediatonic Game – Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
“Deathloop really intrigues me. I love the over-the-top action and funky 60’s/70’s tone of it all. I don’t quite know how it all fits together with all the time looping and the dual protagonists, but I’m also excited by that unknown quality at this point. It seems really unique. Pair that with the always distinct and creative first-person action that Arkane is known for delivering and I am onboard.”
– Louis Studdert, Producer, Toys for Bob – Crash Bandicoot 4
“Deathloop! A big fan of Dishonored. Won’t say no to more stealth + superpowers.”
“It looks like such a cool premise, and I love the style. The timeloop genre is so hot right now, and I’m excited to see the Dishonored team have a crack at it. I’m always excited to learn more about that game with every trailer, it could really be something special!”
– Kurt Margenau, Co-Game Director, Naughty Dog – The Last of Us Part II
Elden Ring
As chosen by…
“I don’t think people realize just how poised for greatness FromSoftware is with their next title. Since the original Demon’s Souls launched a decade ago, this prolific Japanese studio continues to hone its craft while consistently innovating along the way, and now stands as one of the most important game developers in the world. Although we all know little about Elden Ring, I have a hunch that FromSoftware is preparing something extremely special, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.”
– Ryan Payton, Director, Camouflaj – Marvel’s Iron Man VR
The next God of War
As chosen by…
“I need to know what happens in the saga of Kratos and Boy. It’s rare that I finish a game and still feel excited by the prospect of more, but that’s God of War 2018 for me. There are so many worlds left to visit, so many mythological beings to axe, so many grumbly dad jokes to tell! I don’t know when exactly that’ll be, but I’m vibrating in anticipation of finding out.”
– Kevin Zuhn, Creative Director, Young Horses – Bugsnax
“It’s not an easy task to reinvent a beloved franchise like God of War, and the 2018 game exceeded expectations, delivering a personal story about father and son, a stunning world and incredible mechanics. I can’t wait to see how the characters grow and how they build on the amazing foundation of the first game with the power of PS5.”
– Brian Horton, Creative Director, Insomniac Games – Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
“Playing God of War in 2018 was a great experience for me. That series has always had amazing action and combat, but the emotional depth Santa Monica brought to Kratos’ story as a father was very memorable – especially since my son was only a little bit older than Atreus when I played it. So to see and hear the reaction to that tiny glimpse we unveiled at the PlayStation Showcase last September was very exciting. I can’t wait for people to see what Santa Monica is making.”
– Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios
Gran Turismo 7
As chosen by…
“Racing games are always the easiest way for players to feel the true capabilities of next generation gaming. I’m extremely excited to see what next generation experiences this title will offer. Hurry up and release it already!”
– Hideaki Itsuno, Director, Capcom – Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
Horizon Forbidden West
As chosen by…
“I loved Horizon Zero Dawn and I can’t wait to see how the team at Guerrilla evolve such a masterpiece.”
“As the announcement trailer for Horizon Forbidden West was really stunning (and featured underwater scenes, which all devs dread), I am looking forward to seeing how much this sequel pushes the series forward on PS5!”
– Fumihiko Yasuda, Producer, Team Ninja – Nioh 2
“Horizon Zero Dawn was such an inspirational game to play because Guerrilla created a complex and beautiful new IP. That’s tough to do and they made it look easy. I loved Aloy’s journey in Horizon Zero Dawn and now that I have my PS5, I can’t wait to jump back into that well-crafted world.”
– Jason Connell, Creative Director & Art Director, Sucker Punch – Ghost of Tsushima
“I fell in love with Horizon Zero Dawn last year (I had a huge backlog of games during the production of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla) and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next. “
“I can’t wait to get back to that universe and see where Guerrilla is going to take this franchise. What i’ve seen so far looks amazing and my expectations are really high.”
– Rafael Grassetti, Art Director, Santa Monica Studio – God of War
“Horizon Zero Dawn, the first game of the franchise, left a huge impression on me as a game creator. I was taken by the deep immersive experience provided by the unbelievable graphics as well as the unique world I found myself in, a future where civilization has collapsed.
“In the sense that the next title is expected to evolve even further, Final Fantasy VII Remake, which I’m in charge of is expected to do so the same way. For that I have a personal affinity for Horizon (laughs). As a fan, I’m very much looking forward to Horizon: Forbidden West.”
– Naoki Hamaguchi, Director, Square Enix – Final Fantasy VII Remake
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
As chosen by…
“I guess I’m not allowed to say Resident Evil Village ;-). Jokes aside, I’m really looking forward to Kena: Bridge of Spirits. I really love the art direction and it looks like it’s turning out to be a fun adventure game that I can share with my family.”
– Peter Fabiano, Producer, Capcom – Resident Evil 3
Little Devil Inside
As chosen by…
“I really love the concept of a 19th century explorer hunting down monsters with an old professor alongside. Great art style with what look like wonderful worlds to explore. Can’t wait to see what adventures that story will take us on. After playing so much Demon’s Souls and continually being bested in 2020, I’m looking forward to 2021 when I will explore beautiful worlds that aren’t always trying to kill me.”
“The PS2-era R&C games along with the Jak & Daxter trilogy were and still are important to me. Insomniac is a studio I very much look up to, and I can’t wait to see what they have accomplished with the new hardware. The 2016 reimagining of the first Ratchet & Clank is an amazing game and I’m excited to get back into that universe again.”
– Henri Markus, Game Designer, Housemarque – Returnal
“There are so many great games to look forward to in 2021. One that I can’t wait to explore together with my son is Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. I love the unique and gorgeous world they created. We’re currently replaying the latest Ratchet game while we wait for the next one to come out.”
– Angie Smets, Studio Director, Guerrilla
Resident Evil Village
As chosen by…
“I’m looking forward to Resident Evil Village! I’m on a huge Resident Evil kick right now. After playing through Resident Evil 3, I started on Resident Evil 7 to make sure I’m ready when Village finally arrives. It’s definitely one of my favorite horror series now, in any form of media!”
– Derek Yu – Spelunky 2
“I’m looking forward to playing a horror game that takes full advantage of PS5’s features.”
– Masayoshi Yokoyama, Designer & Writer, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio – Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Horizon Forbidden West and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
As chosen by…
“It’s a toss-up between Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Horizon: Forbidden West. Horizon is my favorite game of the PS4 era because of its super original setting and world as well as its unique and satisfyingly strategic combat. I beat all four of the PS2 Ratchet and Clank games, so I’m a big fan of the series, and ever since that insane gameplay demo showing off the new portal mechanic and the crazy level of fidelity in the game. I’m super stoked to get back into that series. The PS5 is an absolute beast, can’t wait to see what these franchises are like on it.”
– Anthony Newman, Co-Game Director, Naughty Dog – The Last of Us Part II
Deathloop and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
As chosen by…
“I love it when development teams take risks and those two games are definitely doing that. Deathloop is such a cool concept and the Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart team at Insomniac is really flexing their muscles in the way they are approaching creative game mechanics on PS5.”
– Ramone Russell, Product Development Communications and Brand Strategist, San Diego Studio – MLB The Show 20
*The views and opinions expressed are those of the persons appearing in the blog and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Und schon beginnt das Jahr 2021. Während wir weiterhin brav Nebenquests absolvieren und Sammelgegenstände einstecken, in Multiplayer-Matches abtauchen oder uns bis zum Ende unserer jüngsten Welle von Spielen vorkämpfen, schielen wir mit einem Auge bereits auf die Titel, die in den kommenden Monaten und Jahren für PlayStation erscheinen werden. Und wen könnten wir besser fragen, auf welche Titel sie sich am meisten freuen, als die kreativen Köpfe hinter den Spielen, die wir im vergangenen Jahr genossen haben? Hier findet ihr die kommenden PlayStation-Spiele, die führende Vertreter der Gaming-Branche kaum abwarten können.
Deathloop
Gewählt von …
„Deathloop scheint ein Spiel zu sein, das sich durch ein originelles Konzept und Gameplay, eine sehr gut maßgeschneiderte künstlerische Richtung und schnelle Action auszeichnet. Und darüber hinaus wird es von einem französischen Studio entwickelt!“
Cyrille Imbert, Executive Producer, Dotemu – Streets of Rage 4
„Es scheint ein Titel mit einem großen Sinn für Stil zu sein. Ich bin ein großer Fan der 70er-Jahre-Retro-Ästhetik. Und es wird sicher faszinierend zu sehen, wie das Spiel wettbewerbsorientierten Multiplayer mit einer storybasierten Kampagne verbindet.“
Ned Waterhouse, Designer Sumo Digital – Sackboy: A Big Adventure
„Dishonored ist eines meiner Lieblingsspiele des letzten Jahrzehnts, daher würde ich Arkane Studios mein Leben anvertrauen. Alles, was ich bisher von Deathloop gesehen habe, weckt Vorfreude in mir – vom Kampf über den Stil bis zum Tempo und dem zentralen Konzept.“
Anthony Pepper, Senior Designer, Mediatonic Game – Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
„Deathloop fasziniert mich. Ich liebe die übertriebene Action und den funkigen 60er/70er-Stil. Ich weiß nicht so recht, wie sich alles in die Zeitschleifen-Prämisse und die beiden Protagonisten einfügt, aber das trägt gerade zu meiner Begeisterung bei. Es scheint wirklich einzigartig zu sein. Und wenn dann auch noch die sehr spezielle und kreative First-Person-Action hinzukommt, für die Arkane bekannt ist, bin ich dabei.“
Louis Studdert, Producer, Toys for Bob – Crash Bandicoot 4
„Deathloop! Ich bin ein großer Fan von Dishonored. Zu mehr Verstohlenheit und Supermächten sage ich daher nicht nein!“
„Ich glaube, vielen ist gar nicht klar, was für ein großartiges Spiel sie beim nächsten Titel von FromSoftware erwartet. Seitdem das ursprüngliche Demon’s Souls vor einem Jahrzehnt veröffentlicht wurde, hat dieses produktive japanische Studio sein Handwerk weiter verbessert und dabei fortlaufend neue Innovationen hervorgebracht. Heute ist es einer der wichtigsten Spieleentwickler der Welt. Obwohl wir alle wenig über Elden Ring wissen, habe ich eine Vorahnung, dass FromSoftware damit etwas ganz Besonderes abliefern wird. Ich kann es daher kaum erwarten, es in die Hände zu bekommen.“
Ryan Payton, Director, Camouflaj – Iron Man VR
Das nächste God of War
„Ich muss wissen, wie die Saga von Kratos und Junge weitergeht. Es kommt selten vor, dass ich ein Spiel beende und mich immer noch auf mehr davon freue, aber so ging es mir bei God of War 2018. Es gibt noch so viele Welten zu besuchen, so viele mythologische Wesen zu schnetzeln, so viele mürrische Papawitze zu erzählen! Ich weiß nicht genau, wann es so weit sein wird, aber ich freue mich schon darauf, es herauszufinden.“
– Kevin Zuhn, Creative Director, Young Horses – Bugsnax
„Es ist keine leichte Aufgabe, ein geliebtes Franchise wie God of War neu zu erfinden. Das Spiel hat 2018 die Erwartungen übertroffen, eine persönliche Geschichte über Vater und Sohn abgeliefert und eine atemberaubende Welt und unglaubliche Mechanik vorgestellt. Ich kann es kaum erwarten zu sehen, wie die Charaktere wachsen und auf der erstaunlichen Grundlage des ersten Spiels mit der Leistung der PS5 aufbauen.“
Brian Horton, Creative Director, Insomniac Games – Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
„God of War 2018 war für mich eine tolle Erfahrung. Diese Serie zeichnete sich schon immer durch erstaunliche Action und Kämpfe aus, aber die emotionale Tiefe, die Santa Monica mit Kratos‘ Geschichte als Vater geschaffen hat, war sehr einprägsam – zumal mein Sohn nur ein wenig älter war als Atreus, als ich diesen Titel gespielt habe. Es war sehr spannend, die Reaktionen auf den winzigen Vorgeschmack zu sehen und hören, den wir im September beim PlayStation Showcase vorgestellt haben. Ich kann es kaum erwarten, dass die Leute zu sehen bekommen, woran Santa Monica arbeitet.“
Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios
Gran Turismo 7
Gewählt von …
„In Rennspielen kann man Spielern am besten die wahren Fähigkeiten des Next-Gen-Gamings vermitteln. Ich freue mich extrem darauf, welche Next-Gen-Erfahrungen dieser Titel bieten wird. Also beeilt euch und veröffentlicht es endlich!“
Hideaki Itsuno, Director, Capcom – Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
Horizon Forbidden West
Gewählt von …
„Ich habe Horizon Zero Dawn geliebt und kann es kaum erwarten zu sehen, wie das Team bei Guerrilla Games ein solches Meisterwerk weiterentwickeln will.“
„Da der Ankündigungs-Trailer für Horizon Forbidden West wirklich atemberaubend war (und Unterwasserszenen zeigte, die alle Entwickler fürchten), freue ich mich darauf zu sehen, wie diese Fortsetzung die Serie für PS5 fortführt!“
Fumihiko Yasuda, Producer, Team Ninja – Nioh 2
„Horizon Zero Dawn war so ein inspirierendes Spiel, mit dem Guerilla eine komplexe und schöne neue IP geschaffen hat. Das ist schwer, aber bei ihnen sah es ganz einfach aus. Ich habe Aloys Reise in Horizon Zero Dawn geliebt. Und jetzt, da ich meine PS5 habe, kann ich es kaum erwarten, wieder in diese toll gestaltete Welt abzutauchen.“
Jason Connell, Creative Director & Art Director bei Sucker Punch – Ghost of Tsushima
„Ich habe mich dieses Jahr in Horizon Zero Dawn verliebt (ich hatte während der Produktion von Assassin’s Creed Valhalla einen riesigen Rückstand an Spielen angesammelt). Daher kann ich es kaum erwarten zu sehen, wie es weitergeht. “
Benoit Richer, Co-Dev Game Director, Ubisoft – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
„Ich kann es kaum erwarten, dieses Universum wieder zu betreten und zu erleben, was Guerilla mit diesem Franchise vorhat. Was ich bisher gesehen habe, sieht atemberaubend aus, daher sind meine Erwartungen sehr hoch.“
Rafael Grassetti, Art Director, Santa Monica Studio – God of War
„Horizon Zero Dawn, das erste Spiel des Franchise, hat bei mir als Game Designer einen riesigen Eindruck hinterlassen. Ich war begeistert von der tiefen, mitreißenden Erfahrung durch die unglaubliche Grafik sowie die einzigartige Welt, in der ich mich befand – eine Zukunft, in der die Zivilisation zusammengebrochen ist.“
„Es wird erwartet, dass der nächste Titel einen weiteren Entwicklungssprung nach vorne darstellt. Ähnliche Erwartungen hat man auch an Final Fantasy VII Remake, für das ich zuständig bin. Daher habe ich eine persönliche Affinität zu Horizon. (Lacht.) Als Fan freue ich mich sehr auf Horizon Forbidden West.“
Naoki Hamaguchi, Director, Square Enix – Final Fantasy VII Remake
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Gewählt von …
„Ich schätze mal, dass ich nicht Resident Evil Village sagen darf ;-). Scherz beiseite: Ich freue mich sehr auf Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Ich liebe den Grafikstil und es sieht aus, wie wäre es ein lustiges Adventure, das ich mit meiner Familie genießen kann.“
Peter Fabiano, Producer, Capcom – Resident Evil 3
Little Devil Inside
Gewählt von …
„Es kommen so viele tolle Spiele raus, dass es sehr schwierig ist, nur eines zu wählen. Ich kann aber sagen, dass ich sie alle auf meiner PS5 spielen werde, die definitiv meine neue Lieblingsplattform ist – Sayonara, Ladezeiten! Zusätzlich zu den Titeln von Worldwide Studios liebe ich das Konzept eines Entdeckers aus dem 19. Jahrhundert, der mit einem alten Professor Monster jagt. Großartiger Grafikstil mit allem Anschein nach wunderbaren Welten zum Erkunden. Ich kann es kaum erwarten zu sehen, auf welche Abenteuer diese Geschichte uns führen wird.“
„Nachdem ich 2020 so oft Demon’s Souls gespielt habe und immer wieder besiegt wurde, freue ich mich 2021 darauf, wunderschöne Welten zu erkunden, in denen mich nicht alles töten will. Also bis das nächste God of War rauskommt, natürlich.“
Gavin Moore, Creative Director, SIE Worldwide Studios – Demon’s Souls
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Gewählt von …
„Ich bin mehr als bereit für das neue Ratchet & Clank-Spiel. Neben der Jak & Daxter-Trilogie sind mir die R&C-Spiele der PS2-Ära extrem wichtig. Insomniac ist ein Studio, zu dem ich aufschaue, und ich kann es kaum erwarten zu sehen, was sie mit der neuen Hardware erreicht haben. Die 2016 veröffentlichte Neuinterpretation des ersten Ratchet & Clank ist ein tolles Spiel und ich freue mich schon darauf, wieder in dieses Universum abzutauchen.“
Henri Markus, Game Designer bei Returnal, Housemarque
„Es gibt so viele tolle Spiele, auf die man sich 2021 freuen kann. Eines, das ich unbedingt mit meinem Sohn erkunden will, ist Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Ich liebe die einzigartige und wunderschöne Welt, die sie erschaffen haben. Wir spielen derzeit das aktuelle Ratchet-Spiel nochmal durch, während wir auf das nächste warten.“
Angie Smets, Studio Director, Guerrilla
Resident Evil Village
Gewählt von …
„Ich freue mich auf Resident Evil Village! Ich bin gerade auf einem riesigen Resident Evil-Trip. Nachdem ich Resident Evil 3 durchgespielt hatte, begann ich mit Resident Evil 7, um sicherzustellen, dass ich bereit bin, wenn Village endlich rauskommt. Es ist definitiv eine meiner Lieblingshorrorserien – und zwar in jedem Medium!“
Derek Yu – Spelunky 2
„Ich freue mich auf ein Horrorspiel, das die Vorteile der PS5-Funktionen nutzt.“
Masayoshi Yokoyama, Designer & Writer, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio – Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Despite the rest of 2020, the past 12 months have been rich with immersive video game worlds, inspiring characters, compelling gameplay mechanics, and fantastic soundtracks. You’ve already told us what your highlights are. Now leading developers in the industry share their personal PlayStation picks from the class of 2020*.
Call of Duty: Warzone
As chosen by…
“As somebody who typically doesn’t play multiplayer, I not only surprised myself with how many hours I logged in Warzone this year, but how profoundly meaningful it all was. On its surface, Warzone combines the battle royale genre with Call of Duty’s rock-solid mechanics, gunplay, and audio design, making for a very potent (and addicting) combination.
“In 2020, however, Warzone became much more than a ‘game’ for me—it launched right around the time Covid-19 hit Seattle and we all went into lockdown, which just so happened to be when Camouflaj was due to wrap up development on Marvel’s Iron Man VR. My colleagues and I got into a fun habit of unwinding in Warzone after a long day of remote work. The game became our virtual afterhours hangout where we’d find ourselves having really heart-to-heart conversations while blasting our way out of spicy firefights.”
– Ryan Payton, Director, Camouflaj – Marvel’s Iron Man VR
“Since the month of April a few close friends and I play it about two to four times a night around 10pm for a few hours. These late night gaming sessions have been instrumental in keeping me sane during a very difficult year. We’re absolutely focused on getting that win but, we also just talk about the most random stuff and just laugh non-stop. It’s a release, it’s relaxing, it’s comforting and it’s just positive vibes. Video games have always been a participatory medium and a form of escapism. What I didn’t foresee happening is video games becoming another instrument in mine and so many others mental health toolbox this year. For those reasons Warzone was and still is my favorite game of 2020.”
– Ramone Russell, Product Development Communications and Brand Strategist, San Diego Studio – MLB The Show 20
Demon’s Souls
As chosen by…
“Although there were many amazing games this year, my favorite has to be Demon’s Souls. I never played the original, but got hooked on these types of games when Bloodborne came out in 2015, so getting a new PS5 was even more exciting because I got to play Demon’s Souls for the first time. Oh, and it also looks amazing. Incredible job by Bluepoint Games!”
– Jason Connell, Creative Director & Art Director, Sucker Punch – Ghost of Tsushima
“For me it’s got to be Demon’s Souls. Its worlds are as terrifying as they are beautiful. There are few games which give you that same tension, that sense of foreboding. The moment you think you’re getting somewhere you’re put firmly back in your place. It’s always keeping you on your toes. It’s stunning, punishing, awe-inspiring, and when you do finally defeat that seemingly impossible boss it’s incredibly rewarding. You really feel like you earn your victories. This game and I have a love/hate relationship. I love it… it hates me.”
– Ned Waterhouse, Designer Sumo Digital – Sackboy: A Big Adventure
“I was looking at a list of games that have been released this year. Most of them I’ve finished, some of them Platinumed, some of them are a trophy or two short of the Platinum, and I was (seemingly) struggling to choose which game to pick out as my personal game of the year. But try as I might, I couldn’t get away from the fact that to me, the original 2009’s Demon’s Souls is one of the most important video games of all time and the 2020 remake by Bluepoint Games re-hammered that point home like the Black Phantom Garl Vinland on NG+++ after you miss your parry.
– Henri Markus, Game Designer, Housemarque – Returnal
Doom Eternal
As chosen by…
“Doom (2016) was an incredibly tough act to follow as it was such a breath of fresh air, but somehow, Doom Eternal gave me everything that I could have wanted out of a sequel. Instead of just giving moreDoom (which they did completely and then some) they also completely expanded upon the core combat loop of the game; taking the Glory Kills = health mechanic and adding on the additional moves to provide armor and ammo, which fundamentally changed how you interacted with the combat spaces in comparison to its predecessor.
It constantly has you thinking while also moving and shooting – evaluating your own resources in the midst of combat. Combining that fundamental change with just a hilariously over-the-top feel of ever-increasing scope and scale made for a truly memorable experience this year. Plus… you have to love a game that has something called a ‘Super Gore Nest’. Somehow balancing the line between reverential, serious, over-the-top, and absolutely ridiculous – Doom Eternal was definitely an achievement by the team at id.”
– Louis Studdert, Producer, Toys for Bob – Crash Bandicoot 4
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
As chosen by…
“The rules are simple, the gameplay is wild, and you can enjoy it with your entire family. The combination of old and new elements – gameplay that focuses on a balance of luck, mastery of action, and strategy – is great. I think it’s fantastic that your luck depends a lot on the physics of interacting with other players, making it hard to direct your frustrations at the game itself. It’s been awhile since I’ve been this vocal while playing a game.”
– Hideaki Itsuno, Director, Capcom – Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
“I got caught up in the hype and started playing the game and before I realized it, I had spent an entire night trying to clinch that crown…”
– Naoki Hamaguchi, Director, Square Enix – Final Fantasy VII Remake
Ghost of Tsushima
As chosen by…
“It was visceral and precise like the blade itself. Legends was the best co-op experience to date with friends.”
– Keith Lee, CEO, Counterplay – Godfall
“Not only can you see Sucker Punch Productions’ technical finesse in this game, but I really felt their strong commitment to craftsmanship. Even as a Japanese person, I really enjoyed this game as a historical piece.”
– Masayoshi Yokoyama, Designer & Writer, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio – Yakuza: Like A Dragon
“Ghost of Tsushima really left an impression on me. It was a completely new game set in Japan during the Kamakura period, which I imagine was no easy endeavor for Sucker Punch to undertake, and they did a fantastic job with the stunning visuals and highly polished gameplay. Here at Team Ninja, where we have worked on a lot of sword fighting action, we were really impressed with the game overall, and strive to create a title with as much ‘honor’ as Ghost of Tsushima.”
– Fumihiko Yasuda, Producer, Team Ninja – Nioh 2
“Ghost of Tsushima is a game that has a special place in my heart. Everything in the art style, characters, music helps realizes the samurai setting perfectly. It was one of my most anticipated games for 2020 and Sucker Punch delivered it.”
– Rafael Grassetti, Art Director, Santa Monica Studio – God of War
“Hopping into Tsushima and clearing out Mongols from camps is exactly the therapeutic gameplay I needed in 2020. The world is beautiful, there are tons of things to discover, the combat is fluid and surprisingly deep, and I can feel like I’m actually accomplishing something turning the entire map from red to white! Sucker Punch really delivered on the samurai fantasy.”
– Kurt Margenau, Co-Game Director, Naughty Dog – The Last of Us Part II
Ikenfell
As chosen by…
“I’m tempted to give GOTY to the nostalgic grand slam that is Final Fantasy VII Remake, but my heart was stolen late in the year by Ikenfell! I was drawn in by the cool tactical approach to RPG combat, but before I knew it I was engrossed in the story of troubled magical youths trying their hardest. It’s the best classic RPG I’ve played in years and nobody should sleep on it. Also: killer soundtrack!”
– Kevin Zuhn, Creative Director, Young Horses – Bugsnax
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
As chosen by…
“My favorite game for 2020 is Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales because of its diversity, homage to Harlem and it’s always fun when my sons and I can swing through and explore Marvel’s New York City while fighting crime.”
“My personal favorite game of 2020 is the same as my personal favorite from 2019: No Man’s Sky. In a lot of ways, NMS is the opposite of the games we make at Naughty Dog: rather than every moment being carefully crafted, literally the entire galaxy is procedurally generated. Digging a tunnel to take shelter from a raging radiation storm, barely avoiding freezing to death diving for ancient secrets in a polar ocean, building my dream-base on a forest moon filled with giant squid creatures, quietly watching flying animals flock and undulate with the planet’s ring backing them in the sky… Some amazing memorable moments in that game, all the more special because no one will ever have those exact moments but me. The next-gen update on PS5 is amazing, a great reason to come back.”
– Anthony Newman, Co-Game Director, Naughty Dog – The Last of Us Part II
Resident Evil 3
As chosen by…
“I was pretty busy this year, but I made time to play Resident Evil 3 because I loved the Resident Evil 2 remake. I thought RE3 was fantastic, especially given how stressful 2020 was. The combination of horror and action made it extremely cathartic for me to play through.”
– Derek Yu – Spelunky 2
The Last of Us Part II
As chosen by…
“The original Last of Us is one of my favorite games of all time. It really felt like they pushed the boundaries of what is possible in games and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole experience. With Part II, I wanted to know where director Neil Druckmann would take this world. How could he and the team possibly surpass the original, having set the bar so high?
“Well, they did, and I wasn’t let down. Existing characters are taken in unexpected directions, and brand new characters join The Last of Us saga that add spice to an already rich post-apocalyptic world.”
“This game stuck with me for a long time. Humanity is shown from its darkest angle. But in all the hatred and revenge, is also a story of empathy and hope. A thought-provoking masterpiece.”
– Angie Smets, Studio Director, Guerrilla
“There’s so many [games to choose from]! I *just* platinumed Astro’s Playroom – and that was fantastic – a real love letter to the history of PlayStation…. But probably the highlight of my year was seeing the continuation of the Joel/Ellie story in the sequel to the Last of Us.”
– Stuart Whyte, Co-Studio Head, London Studio
“The narrative masterpiece that is The Last of Us Part II. One of the only games where I don’t find myself trying to analyze game loops or reading Reddit about min-maxing builds. A game where I sit back and willingly surrender myself to the brilliant minds at Naughty Dog.
Also, my wife agreed that if we ever have a daughter, her name would be Ellie. (If you’re reading this, it’s on the internet now. No take-backs).”
“I was blown away by the experience, by far my favorite of the year. I have always loved the craft and attention to detail Naughty Dog puts into every game they make and with The Last of Us Part II has set the bar, once again, for what our industry can accomplish.”
– Brian Horton, Creative Director, Insomniac Games – Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2
As chosen by…
“Revisiting THPS 20 years later has been like some kind of hallucination. I sank 4 trillion hours into this series on the original PlayStation, and the gameplay feels just as snappy and endorphin-inducing as it did in my nostalgia-tinted memories of yesteryear.”
– Anthony Pepper, Senior Designer, Mediatonic Game – Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
—–
And while most of the creatives who kindly took the time to contribute to this article managed to boil down their favourite game of the year to just one title, some found the decision impossible. We made a rare exception and didn’t force them to choose. Here’s what they had to say:
Persona 5 Royal and Streets of Rage 4
As chosen by…
“I tend to enjoy games that I can share with my family, so it’s really a toss up between two titles for this year – Persona 5 Royal and Streets of Rage 4. I played the original Persona 5 when it released in Japan back in 2016 and Royal has even more content and story. My wife and five year-old daughter loved watching the characters interact and the well-developed story unfold. I must have played for over 230 hours!
Streets of Rage 4 is a fun action game that has local co-op and it’s great to share the experience with the fam. The controls are simple enough for my daughter to play, and she’s pretty good. I personally love the throwbacks to the original. The nostalgia is heavy with a booming soundtrack and homages to the originals.”
– Peter Fabiano, Producer, Capcom – Resident Evil 3
Final Fantasy VII Remake and Ghost of Tsushima
As chosen by…
“It is so hard to pick one, as there are so many good games that shipped this year… if I go with my heart it will have to be Final Fantasy VII Remake. For me it was a massive hit of nostalgia. I was always a big fan of the series even from the very first one! But if I go with my soul, Ghost of Tsushima as it was so well done. I really like how they took this theme and expressed it in mechanics and systems beautifully.”
“This is tough. I will get in a lot of trouble for making choices like this, but I can’t decide between Ghost of Tsushima or The Last of Us Part II. Ghost was such an enjoyable experience – I am so happy for the team at Sucker Punch at the way that has gone for them. Exploring 13th century Japan felt unique, and it’s such a beautiful game as well. The cinematic Kurosawa Mode just felt so cool. And The Last of Us Part II was a very intense experience. Not just because the story and characters were gripping, but also because the world itself was so detailed. It’s the kind of memorable experience you get from being dragged way outside of your comfort zone.
“In fact, you cannot expect me to choose just one game here. So I am not going to. Btw, I am also very impressed with the work that Sucker Punch and Naughty Dog did to make both titles run so well on PS5.”
– Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios
*The views and opinions expressed are those of the persons appearing in the blog and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
**Call of Duty: Warzone, Demon’s Souls, Fall Guys, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, Streets of Rage 4, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2’s online multiplayer modes require internet connection and a PS Plus subscription; fees recur until canceled. Age restrictions apply. Full terms: https://www.playstation.com/legal/ps-plus-usage-terms/.
Be it a quick button press or the stunning result of multiple edits, PlayStation games’ Photo Modes – and PS4’s Share and PS5’s Create buttons – have given us all the chance to play photographer in memorializing special moments. And those shots are captured for good reason. Whether they’re being shown to the world or sitting on a console hard drive, every photo has a story behind it. So we reached out to some industry friends and asked them to share their personal favourite snap captured on console this past year, and tell us why it made the cut*.
Demon’s Souls
Captured on PS5
“Well, maybe not my favorite screen, but definitely the screen I’ve seen the most.”
– Jason Connell, Creative Director & Art Director at Sucker Punch – Ghost of Tsushima
Captured on PS5
“Living my best life mending the world.”
– Henri Markus, Game Designer on Returnal, Housemarque
Captured on PS5
“This is me posing for the camera after one of my best friends and I toppled the Tower Knight in Demon’s Souls. We continued this nightly ritual of co-op boss battles, so the world might be mended.”
– Ryan Payton, Director, Camouflaj – Marvel’s Iron Man VR
Fall Guys
“Considering I rushed to push the Share button on my PS4 after winning the match, I think this is an excellent screenshot. From what I can remember, this is from my second victory. The first time I won, the match was extremely close, and I didn’t feel like it warranted a screenshot. That and “WINNER!” was covered by my trophy notification, so I chose this one to share.”
– Hideaki Itsuno, Director, Capcom – Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
Ghost of Tsushima
“I absolutely loved the stunning beauty of Ghost of Tsushima earlier this year and took many videos and screenshots on my PS4 Pro – here’s one of my favourites!”
– Stuart Whyte, Co-Studio Head, London Studio
“‘Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.’ – The Book of Five Rings.”
– Keith Lee, CEO, Counterplay – Godfall
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
“From my recent photos, I’m going to pick this one with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS5! The reason I’d say that, is maybe because I’ve unboxed the PS5 like I’m still 7 years old (I’m 42), smelling the booklets, inspecting every cable, etc…, putting aside the previous console with the heart full of good memories that it brought, but yet sooo looking forward to play the next gen with excitement. When I started the game, I was already so into it – it was Christmas time in New York with SNOW, where here in Montreal, Canada, snow sadly hadn’t arrived yet (we’re fine now…), I played until 3:30 am (when this selfie was taken) because I felt I was living a ‘Moment’.”
“Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a perfect game for Photo Mode. Swinging around the city feels amazing. From the look of the game and its use of next-gen features to the amazing animations makes this game impossible not to take screenshots on PS5 as you are playing Super Hero through Marvel’s New York City.”
– Rafael Grassetti, Art Director, Santa Monica Studio – God of War
“Another game that is inching toward my top of the year list (I haven’t finished it yet!) is Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Such an absolute joy to play – really continuing all the great work that Insomniac Games did with 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man. I had to take screens of this running on the PS5… and the Photo Mode is just stellar for that. So many options for positioning, lenses, FOVs, frames and filters… it’s really hard to put the Photo Mode down and just play the game to be honest, but I am going to have to if I want to finish it!”
– Louis Studdert, Producer, Toys for Bob – Crash Bandicoot 4
Captured on PS5
“The above served as the foundation for the digital soundtrack for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.”
– Brian Horton, Creative Director, Insomniac Games – Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Nioh 2
“This is a screenshot taken on PlayStation 5 that features the two protagonists of the Nioh series with their swords clashing. This visual featuring William from the first Nioh game and the Nioh 2 protagonist, who both made their debut on PlayStation 4, is a very sentimental picture for me as it brings back memories of the almost 10 years spent working on the Nioh series.”
– Fumihiko Yasuda, Producer, Team Ninja – Nioh 2
No Man’s Sky
“I took more screenshots from NMS than any other game I’ve played… I’m intimidated to share this because there are some virtual photographers taking amazing shots in that game (shout out No Man’s Smile!) and I’m not sure any of mine can compare, but this is a shot I took on my PS4 Pro that I really liked of a trading post at sunset: the way the lighting worked out it looked a bit like a Simon Stalenhag piece.”
– Anthony Newman, Co-Game Director, Naughty Dog – The Last of Us Part II
And finally…
“I was playing Astro’s Playroom and enjoying how a game that is so focused on the innovative controller for the PlayStation 5 can also bring back such memories of our history. But then I got to the end of Turbo Trail and there is that little squad of Robo-Helghast and I just burst out laughing. I’ve spent a LOT of time with the Helghast in my career, but I didn’t know they were going to be there. That was fun.”
– Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios
(Screenshot taken by PS Blog staff)
Interested in sharpening your own photographic eye on PlayStation? Here are some primer guides to help you get started:
And submissions for our end of year Share of the Week are still open, so there’s still time to enter your favourite shot!
*The views and opinions expressed are those of the persons appearing in the blog and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sony Interactive Entertainment. **Demon’s Souls, Fall Guys, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, and Nioh 2 online multiplayer modes require internet connection and a PS Plus subscription; fees recur until canceled. Age restrictions apply. Full terms: https://www.playstation.com/legal/ps-plus-usage-terms/.
Ob mit einem kurzen Tastendruck aufgenommen oder als atemberaubendes Ergebnis mehrerer Bearbeitungen – in den Fotomodi der PlayStation-Spiele können wir mit der Share- und Create-Taste der PS4 bzw. PS5 Fotograf spielen und besondere Momente für die Ewigkeit festhalten. Und hinter jedem Bild steckt eine Geschichte, ganz gleich, ob es der Welt präsentiert oder sicher auf einer Konsolenfestplatte aufbewahrt wird. Also haben wir uns an einige unserer Freunde in der Branche gewandt und sie gebeten, ihren persönlichen Lieblings-Schnappschuss aus dem vergangenen Jahr mit uns zu teilen und uns zu verraten, warum dieses Bild für sie so besonders ist.
Hier findet ihr ihre Antworten.
Demon’s Souls
Aufgenommen auf PS5
„Das ist vielleicht nicht mein Lieblingsbildschirm, aber auf jeden Fall der Bildschirm, den ich am häufigsten gesehen habe.“
Jason Connell, Creative Director & Art Director bei Sucker Punch – Ghost of Tsushima
Aufgenommen auf PS5
„Spaß beim Heilen der Welt.“
Henri Markus, Game Designer bei Returnal, Housemarque
Aufgenommen auf PS5
„Hier posiere ich für die Kamera, nachdem ich mit einem meiner besten Freunde den Turmritter in Demon’s Souls zur Strecke gebracht habe. Wir haben dieses nächtliche Ritual der Koop-Bosskämpfe fortgeführt, um die Welt zu heilen.“
Ryan Payton, Director, Camouflaj – Iron Man VR
Fall Guys
„Wenn man bedenkt, dass ich nach dem Sieg hastig die Aufnahmetaste gedrückt habe, ist das doch ein ausgezeichneter Screenshot geworden. Soweit ich mich erinnere, zeigt er meinen zweiten Sieg. Beim ersten Mal habe ich nur extrem knapp gewonnen, daher fand ich einen Screenshot nicht gerechtfertigt. Außerdem wurde ‚SIEGER!‘ von meiner Trophäenbenachrichtigung verdeckt, daher habe ich diesen hier ausgewählt.“
Hideaki Itsuno, Director, Capcom – Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
Ghost of Tsushima
„Ich war ganz in die atemberaubende Schönheit von Ghost of Tsushima Anfang des Jahres verliebt und habe viele Videos und Screenshots aufgenommen – hier ist einer meiner Favoriten!“
Stuart Whyte, Co-Studio Head, London Studio
„‚Der Sieg von heute ist über dein Ich von gestern, der Sieg von morgen wird über einen minderwertigen Menschen sein.‘ – Das Buch der fünf Ringe.“
Keith Lee, CEO, Counterplay – Godfall
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
„Ich habe ein neueres Bild aus Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales auf PS5 gewählt. Als ich die PS5 ausgepackt habe, habe ich mich wieder wie 7 gefühlt (obwohl ich 42 Jahre alt bin). Die Broschüren zu riechen, jedes Kabel zu untersuchen, die alte Konsole mit einem Herzen voll großartiger Erinnerungen wegzupacken und sich so auf die nächste Generation zu freuen, ist einfach unbeschreiblich. Als ich das Spiel gestartet habe, war ich sofort Feuer und Flamme. Es war Weihnachtszeit in New York mit SCHNEE, während hier in Montreal, Kanada, leider noch kein Schnee zu sehen war (inzwischen ist dahin gehend aber alles wieder gut). Ich habe bis 3:30 Uhr morgens gespielt (als auch dieses Selfie entstanden ist), weil ich einen echten, wichtigen ‚Moment‘ erlebt habe.“
Benoit Richer, Co-Dev Game Director, Ubisoft – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
„Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales ist ein perfektes Spiel für den Fotomodus. Es ist einfach klasse, durch die Stadt zu schwingen. Vom Look des Spiels über seine Verwendung von Next-Gen-Features bis zu den erstaunlichen Animationen macht dieses Spiel es einem fast unmöglich, keine Screenshots zu machen, während man als Superheld durch das New York des Marvel-Universums streift.“
Rafael Grassetti, Art Director, Santa Monica Studio – God of War
„Ein weiteres Spiel, das in meiner Topliste des Jahres immer weiter nach oben wandert (ich habe es noch nicht durchgespielt!), ist Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Es bietet einen unglaublichen Spielspaß und setzt die großartige Arbeit fort, die Insomniac Games mit Marvel’s Spider-Man 2018 abgeliefert hat. Ich musste einfach Screenshots davon auf der PS5 machen. Der Fotomodus ist dafür hervorragend. So viele Optionen für Posen, Objektive, Blickwinkel, Rahmen und Filter … Da ist es wirklich schwer, den Fotomodus wieder zu beenden und einfach zu spielen. Ich werde mich wohl zwingen müssen, denn sonst werde ich nie damit fertig!“
Louis Studdert, Producer, Toys for Bob – Crash Bandicoot 4
Aufgenommen auf PS5
„Das Bild oben diente als Grundlage für den digitalen Soundtrack für Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.“
Brian Horton, Creative Director, Insomniac Games – Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Nioh 2
„Dieser Screenshot wurde auf der PlayStation 5 aufgenommen und zeigt die beiden Protagonisten der Nioh-Serie mit aufeinanderprallenden Schwertern. Diese Grafik mit William aus dem ersten Nioh-Spiel und dem Protagonisten von Nioh 2, die beide ihr Debüt auf PlayStation 4 gegeben haben, ist für mich sehr sentimental, da sie mich an die fast 10 Jahre erinnert, die ich an der Nioh-Serie gearbeitet habe.“
Fumihiko Yasuda, Producer, Team Ninja – Nioh 2
No Man’s Sky
„Ich habe mehr Screenshots von NMS gemacht als von jedem andere Spiel, das ich gespielt habe … Ich bin etwas schüchtern, diese zu teilen, weil es einige virtuelle Fotografen gibt, die in diesem Spiel erstaunliche Aufnahmen machen (shout out No Man’s Smile!) und ich mir nicht sicher bin, dass eines von meinen mithalten kann, aber dies ist eine Aufnahme, die ich auf meiner PS4 Pro bei Sonnenuntergang an einem Handelsposten gemacht habe und die mir sehr gut gefallen hat: Die Art und Weise, wie die Beleuchtung war, sah ein bisschen wie ein Stück von Simon Stalenhag aus. “
Anthony Newman, Co-Game Director, Naughty Dog – The Last of Us Part II
Und zu guter Letzt…
„Ich habe Astro’s Playroom gespielt und genossen, dass ein Spiel, das sich so auf den innovativen Controller der PlayStation 5 konzentriert, gleichzeitig solche Erinnerungen an unsere Geschichte wiederaufleben lassen kann. Als ich aber am Ende des Turbo Trail angekommen war und diesen kleinen Trupp Robo-Helghasts gesehen habe, musste ich lauthals loslachen. Ich habe im Laufe meiner Karriere VIEL Zeit mit den Helghasts verbracht, aber ich wusste nicht, dass sie dort sein würden. Das war lustig.“
Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios
(Screenshot von PS Blog Team aufgenommen)
Du möchtest deine eigenen Fotokünste auf der PlayStation schärfen? Hier findest du einige Leitfäden für deine ersten Schritte:
*Die geäußerten Ansichten und Meinungen sind die der Personen, die im Blog erscheinen, und spiegeln nicht unbedingt die Ansichten und Meinungen von Sony Interactive Entertainment wider.
** Demon’s Souls, Fall Guys, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends und Nioh 2 Online-Multiplayer-Modi erfordern eine Internetverbindung und ein PS Plus-Abonnement. Gebühren fallen bis zur Stornierung an. Es gelten Altersbeschränkungen. Vollständige Bedingungen: https://www.playstation.com/legal/ps-plus-usage-terms/.
Two years ago today, you, the fans of God of War, embraced change by joining Kratos and his son Atreus on their epic journey. Since then, all of us at Santa Monica Studio have continued to be astounded by your passion, creativity and support. Below we have included a small sampling of some of our favorite fan creations.
Credit: @BT_BlackThunder // Credit: @MaryeLeFay (Photo by Kevin Jeukens)
In celebration of this day, and in honor of all of our incredible fans, we are excited to announce some new products opening up for pre-order.
We are once again teaming up with Dark Horse to bring Atreus’ journal from God of War to life in Lore and Legends. Written in collaboration with the God of War team, this hardcover book chronicles the journey of Atreus and Kratos through the Nine Realms. It includes expanded lore, detailed bestiary, character dossiers and so much more. Check it out here to pre-order your copy and to catch a sneak peek.
Gaming Heads has been hard at work on designing the next installment of their life-size Kratos busts. This time they have captured the Norse Era Kratos in all his glory. The bust itself was crafted using in-game files, while the finer details were painted by hand. They kept the production run to only 500, making this a true collector’s item for any die-hard God of War fan. Visit the Gaming Heads site here for more images and pre-order details.
“Valkyrie!” One simple word can strike fear in even the most seasoned player. Anyone who has gone toe-to-toe with these terrifying foes knows just how formidable they are. This new poster from Lineage Studios lets fans admire the beauty of the Valkyrie without any of the controller-gripping anxiety. Check it out here to learn more.
Thank you again for being the best fans ever! You continue to be at the heart of everything we do here at Santa Monica Studio. Until next time, stay safe and remember to enjoy the journey.
If you watched our full-length documentary, Raising Kratos, you got a glimpse into our journey reinventing this franchise. It should be no surprise, we have plenty of intriguing, untold stories left to tell that dig deeper into the development of God of War. Thus, we’re proud to continue in partnership with the PlayStation Blogcast, a Santa Monica Studio limited podcast miniseries, Worlds Collide.
In each episode of Worlds Collide, we’ll bring together developers from different departments across our team, who collaborated on a feature that helped evolve God of War. These conversations will shine the Light of Alfheim on our studio culture and game development processes as if you’re right on the ground floor with us.
If you missed Episode 1 & 2, fear not, you can download it from the PlayStation Blogcast page on any of your favorite podcast apps, or our earlier post here. Enjoy our latest episode below.
While we worked hard on developing his positioning, traversal, and progression, it was Atreus’ core combat system that became, perhaps, an even greater challenge. The design, tech, and animations of Atreus’ combat were meticulously planned for almost every imaginable gameplay situation, including how he interacted with Kratos in battle. In this episode of Worlds Collide, we bring together our Senior Staff Technical Combat Designer and Senior Animator to discuss how Atreus’ combat went from feeling mediocre to feeling empowering and eventful. Enjoy the show!
Additionally, if you’d like to watch or read Hayato Yoshidome’s full GDC 2019 presentation on developing the combat tech of Atreus, please visit our studio site GDC page here.
If you watched our full-length documentary, Raising Kratos, you got a glimpse into our journey reinventing this franchise. It should be no surprise, we have plenty of intriguing, untold stories left to tell that dig deeper into the development of God of War. Thus, we’re proud to continue in partnership with the PlayStation Blogcast, a Santa Monica Studio limited podcast miniseries, Worlds Collide.
In each episode of Worlds Collide, we’ll bring together developers from different departments across our team, who collaborated on a feature that helped evolve God of War. These conversations will shine the Light of Alfheim on our studio culture and game development processes as if you’re right on the ground floor with us.
If you missed Episode 1, fear not, you can download it from the PlayStation Blogcast page on any of your favorite podcast apps, or our earlier blog post. Enjoy our latest episode below.
Episode 2: “The No Cut Camera”
The no cut camera in God of War was a miracle of collaboration across many departments. Developers Dori Arazi (Director of Photography and Cinematic Art Lead), Phil Wilkins (Senior Staff Programmer), and Erol Oksuz (Lead Gameplay Camera Designer) discuss how they merged technology with cinematography to establish a single shot from start to finish and every which way you could venture on your journey in God of War. It was bold, it was new… it was damn near impossible.
As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Santa Monica Studio, we’re turning back the clock on some of the most memorable art from God of War — art that helped define the franchise that built our studio. From in-house concept artists still with us today to numerous legendary artists of our past, we asked each to select their most inspired God of War art piece that made a significant impact on them or the franchise. Many of these contain never before shared behind-the-scenes sdetails… and certainly some perhaps you never knew.
Charlie Wen – Former Concept Artist
(“Kratos Legendary Napkin Design” – God of War)
It has to be the napkin sketches I did when I first captured who Kratos was going to be.
After going through several iterations of the main character, I was having a bit more clarity of who Kratos was, and came prepared for a lunch/design session — armed with multiple pens, even a brush pen. Then, as ideas started to flow, I realized I had no sketchbook — good thing the restaurant had napkins. A vision of Kratos came to me that needed to get out of my head and onto paper (or napkin) — he had wide double blades attached to his forearms by chains that he would fling around. The napkins soon filled with Kratos flying through the air with double blades. I remember going through several napkins to the point that 90% of Kratos’s finished design came out in that lunch session. As for the napkin sketches, most of them probably got crumpled in some jean pocket and eaten by the wash… but thankfully, not all of them.
Cecil Kim – Former Concept Artist
(“Suicide Bluffs – God of War”)
I did this piece early in the God of War 1 production, which means we knew Kratos will jump off the cliff at the beginning of the game. What a depressing start of a game! I also remember we tried to emphasize how emotionally beaten he is leading up to this point. I remember they (probably design team, David Jaffe) were telling me Kratos could barely drag himself up to the top which was the original plan. (I did not know what event took place before this. Which was the final Zeus battle at the end of the game!) That’s why you see a narrow trail leading up to the top on the left side of the cliff in my artwork.
Also, we were a fairly small art team back then; Ken Feldman, who was in charge of the level, also sat with me and shared his challenge to build all the areas with the graphical limitations we had. So no trees! I needed a perfect angle to show everything, so I made all the rocks in a stylized way, rather focus on a dark, chill tone of the area. Unfortunately, you do not see this view in the opening scene but you can feel and smell the same air if you know what I mean!
Scott Seeto – Former Concept Artist
(“Icarus” – God of War II)
Ultimately I’ll have to go with Icarus. One: it is always fun to design a crazy character and show it in their features and pose. It may not have been a big character but he was fun to do! Two: I was satisfied with the outcome of the illustration. For sure, some things could have been done better on it, but for time I had on it, I was pleased. Three: it is hard to see and it did not make it into the game I do not think. As part of his craziness, I originally thought of him holding a deceased cat all the time as a pet (it must have been a late night when I thought of it)! I would like to add, my time as a concept artist on God of War was a blast!
Andy Park – Former Concept Artist
(“Kratos vs Poseidon” – God of War III)
I would have to say the concept design illustration I did of the first main boss of God of War 3, Poseidon, was pretty special for me. I remember getting the prompt of a water-based behemoth that the Poseidon god would transform into and thinking what a fun challenge that was going to be to tackle. However, as I was letting my imagination run wild with the possibilities of this kind of creature that would attack Kratos in several simply massive ways I caught myself thinking, “How the heck are they going to pull off any of these things?” It’s one thing to design it but a totally another thing to make come alive in a 3D gameplay environment, and with the limitations of the PS3 platform engine.
Well, it was a pleasure to design a crazy boss character like this that has never been seen in the God of War franchise, if not even the entire PS3 line of games, but it might have been an even bigger pleasure to see the amazing team execute this in reality for the game. A special shout out goes to Max Ancar making a character made of water come alive! Poseidon was definitely my favorite design I got to do during my long run on the God of War franchise.
Erik San Juan – Former Concept Artist
(“Amazonian Warrior” – God of War Ascension)
During pre-production for God of War: Ascension, the concept team had a month of “blue-sky” design time where we would toss around crazy ideas. With the mysterious fate of Kratos at the end of God of War 3, we knew we wanted to give him a successor — a new hero who would go looking for him. Not unlike the most recent entry in the series, we imagined that he had a hidden daughter and began sketching ideas of what she would look like. Other ideas we tossed around were using Artemis as the focus with similar rage and vengeance as Kratos — even concepting her to be a Centaur with magical powers!
Shown here was my only contribution to the team with a tattoo design on her face. Once we knew we were bringing back Kratos in a Prequel these designs would later evolve into the Amazonian Warrior that we see in Ascension. Santa Monica Studio is an incredible environment for creativity and I will always carry fond memories like these of my time working with such amazing artists.
Luke Berliner – Present, Lead Concept Artist
(“Canyon Bull” – God of War: Ascension)
I did this concept eight years ago when I first joined Santa Monica Studio on God of War: Ascension, I was so proud of it and felt like I was finally starting to understand what makes something work in a God of War game. Flash forward to today and this image is hung on the wall as you enter our internal space. I walk by it every day. When I look at it now years later I see how much I have grown as an artist at Santa Monica Studio and it’s fun to see how our games have changed too.
Joe Kennedy – Present, Senior Concept Artist
(“The Hunt” – God of War 2018)
The team chose the comic medium for “The Hunt” since it was an ideal tool that could simultaneously visualize components of gameplay and storytelling. The scene is a vertical slice of God of War that I had the creative freedom to visualize how Kratos and his son, Atreus, would begin this new journey. It was great to see the concepts illustrated in The Hunt maintain integrity throughout the development process and the team helped see it into the final game.
Yefim Kligerman – Present, Concept Artist
(“The Ancient” – God of War 2018)
I chose this concept of the Ancient because it shows a different take on the very common rock monster. I was able to integrate some curves to break up the solid rock shapes, as well as explore the humanity of this old magical being. The Ancient was always a great prompt to work off of because it’s supposed to be one of the oldest things in this world, a living being powered by magic and created as monument for prayer.
Annis Naeem – Former Concept Artist
(“Helheim” – God of War 2018)
I had been struggling to get a look and feel for Helheim until this pivotal piece. The brief was that it would be extremely cold and icy but it wouldn’t be a frozen wonderland. The walking dead that were infused together on the bridge, the stormy look, the towering columns/gates. Some of the elements in the painting were inspired by Zdzislaw Beksinkski and how he paints bony super structures.
Jin Kim – Former Concept Artist
(“Helheim Hræsvelg” – God of War 2018)
My portion of contribution to the project was mainly on the realm of Helheim. For that reason, I chose the artwork with the eagle chained up on top of the Helheim monolith because the eagle is such an iconic creature to the realm. Things shown in this shot can represent almost everything happening in Helheim from the Sea of Knives to the cold weather that the eagle is creating by its giant wings, giant monoliths connected with the bridges that the dead walk on and so on. I personally grew fond of this one because of how long I was working on this place and how I thought it was so cool to have a cold version of Hell was back then.
The team back then was struggling with the decision on how to have the eagle’s appearance in the realm, and I remember when they finally brought the task of concepting the scene to me to have the eagle in the very center of the Helheim, I was very excited to paint the shot. It was really nice to see everyone’s reaction when we showed the concept to people too. It also felt like a good collaboration with other artists because of some of the elements in the painting that were designed by other concept artists, and it was really nice to orchestrate them in one illustration. This was a good finale to the whole Helheim-concepting act to me.
Dela Longfish – Present, Lead Concept Artist
(“Draugr” – God of War 2018)
The Draugr were one of the earliest characters I worked on. Knowing this was a character we would see in almost every area in the game we explored a wide range of looks for what they could be. I eventually explored an idea of a character whose body is dead but was unnaturally being brought back to life by the pure will of its spirit. To further complement that, I made their bodies broken and fractured, to sell the idea that they were no longer from the land of the living.
Abe Taraky – Present, Senior Concept Artist
(“Týr” – God of War 2018)
When Kratos and Atreus discover the flooded area, they are amazed at the opulence and destruction of the temple. In support of these two themes, I ensured that every design choice added to this duality. A good example of this is the monolithic statue of Tyr that sits on the temple entrance. Its jewel encrusted shield, weapon and armor plating, stands in stark contrast to large hole at its chest and flames that engulf its helmet. Early on, this helps the player question the environment and wonder, what manner of god built such a temple and why was it was destroyed?
Vance Kovacs
(“A Call From The Wilds” – God of War 2018)
The set of images for PlayStation Experience were special for me. Specifically, this one, as it aimed to capture the boy in a fading moment of solemn beauty and inevitable death.
Jose Cabrera
(“Faye’s Funeral” – God of War 2018)
The reason is just that it somewhat helped me reconnect with the loss of my own mother, which is something that happened when I was a teen, and I had encapsulated that memory to have it as something that wouldn’t affect me at all. Working on this piece made me remember her. I can guess most developers had their little personal moments during the development because the game touches some very primal fibers here and there.
Make sure to hit up the PlayStation Store where we have a very special Santa Monica Studio showcase, featuring sales on many of our PlayStation 4 games, and a journey through our history. You can also now watch our full-length feature documentary, Raising Kratos, on your PlayStation console free, through the PlayStation Store as well.
Thank you once again, your unwavering support these past 20 years has truly transformed us.
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