God Of War Developers Often Debated Splitting Ragnarok Into Two Games

Some God of War fans were surprised when Sony’s Santa Monica Studio revealed that the upcoming Ragnarok will conclude the “norse saga” of the franchise. However, a new behind-the-scenes video reveals that the team behind the game frequently debated whether to make the norse saga a trilogy or not, with director Cory Barlog making the final call.

“There were pros and cons for either approach,” says lead writer Rich Gaubery. “We waited for Cory Barlog to weigh in, and he did. And he said ‘let’s do it in two.'”

In the video, the developers acknowledge that Ragnarok is much larger in scope than they originally planned, and that they worry about doing the apocalyptic concept of Ragnarok justice. Ultimately, though, Barlog decided that making players wait 15 years to finally conclude the trilogy would be too much, so Santa Monica Studio opted for the two game route instead. The video also notes that the actor who plays Atreus experienced changes in his voice due to the game’s lengthy development time, and the team had to make certain changes to scenes as a result.

This video is the first of a nine-part series that will break Ragnarok down part-by-part, including its cinematics, score, and combat. It will also examine how the game was developed during the pandemic, which presented challenges to the team behind it. God of War Ragnarok releases November 9.