Santa Monica Studio could be dashing our God of War sequel hopes
A LinkedIn posting from a Santa Monica Studio employee teases the developer's first new IP in 20 years, but with it, it could be dashing our dreams for a new God of War game.
06th Aug 2024 17:00
Images via Sony Santa Monica
Santa Monica Studio could be dashing our God of War sequel hopes
A LinkedIn posting from a Santa Monica Studio employee teases the developer's first new IP in 20 years, but with it, it could be dashing our dreams for a new God of War game.
06th Aug 2024 17:00
Images via Sony Santa Monica
When it comes to Sony's Santa Monica Studio, the developer knows what it's good at and sticks to it. Aside from Kinetica being its first game all the way back in 2001, SMS has been consistently churning out God of War games since 2005. However, as the franchise approaches its 20th anniversary, it could be time to look further afield.
God of War has managed to brilliantly reinvent, with 2018's reboot taking Kratos from the sun-baked plains of Ancient Greece into the frozen tundra of Norse mythology. That God of War led into 2022's Ragnarok, but with this closing the door on that chapter of Kratos' life, we've been left wondering where the story goes next.
Santa Monica Studio's new IP could be on the way
We previously heard about Santa Monica Studio working on a new IP, and now, the idea is picking up steam. As spotted on ResetEra (via Eurogamer) one SSM developer Glauco Longhi mentions that he's "looking after the entire character development pipeline on their [Santa Monica Studio's] new IP."
The full post explains, "Santa Monica Studios presented the opportunity of coming back as Character Supervisor, looking after the entire Character Development pipeline, on their new IP, so here I am, thrilled to be back, working again with the crew and pushing Characters in videogames together."
Longhi's LinkedIn states that he previously worked as a Senior Character Artist on Naughty Dog's Uncharted 4, 2016's God of War, and became Lead Character Artist for Ragnarok. If he's working on a new IP in a similar role, it suggests he won't be returning to Kratos' story anytime soon.
SMS Creative Director Cory Barlog teased that the new IP could be space-themed thanks to a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter) back in 2019. In 2022, job listings hinted at the developer's next project, with fans speculating it would be something completely different. More recently, a recruitment drive hinted at a return to God of War.
While we're excited to see what Santa Monica Studio will do next, there's obvious disappointment that Kratos could be retired for now. When news started doing the rounds, gamers were concerned that the Ghost of Sparta would be sidelined. "Means they found it is hard to make another game after what they have done in Ragnarok," said one worried fan.
Another joked, "Time for War of God, guys," but not everyone was disappointed. Someone concluded, "Maybe later down the line Kratos make that trip to Egypt ♥️♥️ for now he earned his rest." Others agreed that after two decades of Kratos, it's time to see what else SMS can do.
The official Santa Monica Studio site lists over 250 employees in 2024, but it seems doubtful that it would be able to juggle a new IP AND a new God of War game. Then again, with a five-year gap between GoW 3 and Ascension, was anyone really expecting to see a pseudo-Ragnarok sequel this side of 2027?
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
