Santa Monica Fuels the Speculation About a New God of War Game

The studio that developed the contemporary God of War series, Santa Monica Studio, may have just revealed one of the most fascinating clues to the series' future. There is new speculation that the studio is working on a new God of War game, possibly even multiple major projects simultaneously, thanks to a job posting for a Senior Combat Designer.

To design and implement enemy and boss characters, as the job description says, you will work with lead combat designers and directors to make new enemies come to life. That's pretty standard for any AAA action RPG, but the really interesting part is the piece that lists the preferred experience: Applicants should be well-versed in the combat systems, mechanics, and enemy designs of both God of War (2018) and Ragnarök.

It's not subtle. It's a strong indication that whatever Santa Monica is working on is closely tied to these past titles in a big way. Fans familiar with the studio's past know that Santa Monica has been through a lot of big changes. The 2018 reboot, led by Cory Barlog, turned a series that had been going on for decades into a story-driven, third-person action RPG that gave Kratos a personality and set the story in a fully realized Norse mythology world.

Barlog's vision was to balance intense, visceral combat with highly personal stories. The game won many awards, including Game of the Year. Ragnarök continued this path, making the world larger, the fighting more intense, and the relationship between a father and son more in-depth. It ended on a satisfying note, but left some loose ends that fans have been dying to see fixed.

This leads us to the next report, which states that Barlog's new project is not a new IP, but will feel like one. One of the most interesting ideas so far has been sparked by this carefully worded statement: Santa Monica may be shifting the focus from Kratos to Atreus, offering players a new perspective while keeping the story grounded in the Norse-inspired world.

Atreus should be the main character for more than one reason. First, he reflects on how the story naturally moves forward in the series. Kratos's story seems to be mostly over by the end of Ragnarök, and Atreus is about to take on more duty. Second, his skills differ from Kratos' heavy axe fighting, which allows the developers to change how the game is played while maintaining the God of War feel. With archery, stealth, and magic-based combat, encounters can be altered, giving an established brand a new IP feel.

Adding fuel to the fire, rumors suggest that Santa Monica is currently working on two major projects. There aren't many details about the second project yet, but the first one appears to be related to the world of God of War. It's unclear whether Barlog is directly in charge of both or if the studio has split up the leadership, but this indicates that Santa Monica is not slowing down after the huge success of Ragnarök.

For fans, these changes are very exciting. New reports and the job listing that focuses on combat both heavily suggest that the series will continue, possibly going in a new direction with Atreus. It's a brave move to hand off the reins from a famous main character while keeping the series true to its roots in battle, mythology, and story.

There is still a lot of mystery surrounding Santa Monica Studio, as the studio has traditionally kept its projects secret until they are made public. However, one thing is clear from the job posting and the comments from people who work on the game: the future of God of War appears to be both familiar and excitingly new. It might not be long before the next part of this great story starts for players who want to play as Atreus.