It's only been a year since the critically acclaimed (and our Game of the Year 2018 winner) God of War reboot launched exclusively on PlayStation 4, but we're already looking to the future.
Despite Sony remaining tight-lipped on the subject, the success of God of War means a sequel is probably on the way (perhaps another God of War 2?). In addition, Sony Santa Monica has posted job listings for a number of roles across its teams – with one listing clearly citing the God of War reboot.
At this point, it's most likely that God of War 2 will come to PS5 than the PS4 but, in the interest of not getting confused with the other God of War 2, we've opted to refer to it as God of War PS4.
So, with that out of the way, we've gathered together all the rumors and news surrounding the God of War sequel for your perusal right here.
God of War 2: release date
Sony Santa Monica hasn't officially confirmed God of War 2 (or whatever the name will be) is in the works but we expect that a sequel won't release until after the Holiday 2020 release of the PS5 – unless it releases as a launch title for the next-generation console.
That means the game will probably release at the end of 2020 or at the start of 2021. Either way, we're expecting God of War 2 will be coming to Sony's PlayStation 5.
God of War 2 rumors
Job Listings
As spotted by GamesRadar, SIE Santa Monica Studio posted job listings for a number of roles across its programming, art, design, and tech art teams – with one listing clearly citing the God of War reboot.
Applicants for Senior Combat Designer “Must have knowledge of God of War (2018) and be able to speak in depth about the combat systems, mechanics and enemies”.
A listing for Facial Blend Shape Character Artist also specifically mentions “next-gen videogame platform experience” for the role: something that should whittle down prospective applicants to relatively few animators, given that the next generation of consoles have yet to launch.
The waters are muddied slightly with a Senior Gameplay Animator posting, which asks for someone “to help us push the boundaries of action and combat movement and set the bar for gameplay feel on the PS4“.
God of War PS4 theme
Back in April 2019 a new dynamic theme appeared on PS4 to celebrate the anniversary of the God of War reboot. The theme showed Kratos and Atreus rowing, however the theme contained a secret message (discovered by eagle-eyed God of War fans on Reddit).
The boat the pair are rowing in has runes etched on its side which translate (in English) to “Ragnarok is coming”. Could this be hinting that the God of War sequel will be focus on Ragnarok (essentially the Nordic mythology version of the apocalypse)?
No God of War DLC
God of War director Corey Barlog had said there were originally plans for DLC for the 2018 reboot, but said they were halted for being “too ambitious”. That means the studio can invest resources into an entirely new game as opposed to post-launch content.
God of War 2: what we want to see
[Warning: spoilers for the ending of God of War ahead.]
Exploring that ending further
At the end of God of War, we found out that Kratos' wife (and Atreus' mother) Faye was actually a Giant called Laufey. That means Atreus is half God and half Giant and, what's more, he has a different name altogether: Loki. You know Loki, the trickster of Norse mythology.
Hopefully God of War 2 will explore this further and we'll find out more about Faye's secret past, as well as why she kept it all a secret in the first place. We're also hoping Atreus will embrace the shape shifting abilities that Loki is notorious for instead of simply standing on the sidelines firing arrows at enemies.
Atreus isn't a boy anymore
The God of War sequel may continue on directly from the events of the previous game, however we think it would be more interesting to see how a teenage Atreus and grumpy dad Kratos fair on an adventure.
Next-generation
It seems very likely at this stage that any potential God of War sequel will come to PS5 rather than PS4. That means we should be seeing faster loading times, better graphics and a generally more powerful engine for SIE Santa Monica Studios to play around with.
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