God of War’s Cory Barlog Thought One Change Would Annoy Gamers and Turn Them Off the PlayStation Franchise

While the original God of War games in the franchise were spectacularly well-received, Santa Monica Studios did an equally good job of reviving the franchise with a new title in 2018. God of War (2018) is based on Norse mythology and sees Kratos joined in his adventure by his son, Atreus.

A year after the title was released, the Game Director at Santa Monica Studios, Cory Barlog, spoke about the development his YouTube channel. Barlog talked about handling the expectations, the father-son concept, and the Norse theme. He also revealed the one major difference that was made in the game to keep fans from getting upset.

Barlog Made This One Change So Fans Would Not Be Upset

One of the things Barlog mentioned giving a lot of thought to was just how many changes fans would accept. One of those major decisions was to eliminate jumps in the game, even when several members of the team doubted whether it was a good or bad decision.

Barlog recalled the social media backlash after the game was released as a lot of comments opposed the decision. He mentioned that even with a lot of opposition, gamers still gave it a shot.

Another new introduction was the Leviathan Axe, which Barlog said was something not everyone was on board with. He revealed that Vincent Napoli had come up with the Axe. Barlog also mentioned having to explain how the Axe would work in the game, and the team being amazed by it and going ahead with the idea.

The Father-Son Concept in God of War

Kratos has always been on adventures by himself, so bringing his son along in his fights was rather unique. Barlog mentioned that the idea was discussed back in 2013, and that there was a lot of opposition and surprise with the father-son concept.

He said that the team was on board with the concept later on and focussed on “getting to solutions instead of complaining” about it. Barlog expressed that gamers who had played the original trilogy were more than likely to return to the new reboot and relate to old man Kratos as a character who had grown old along with them.

Atreus also accompanied Kratos in God of War: Ragnarök, but it’s yet to be seen if future titles will continue having the father-son duo, given how the game ended. The number of changes brought along in the reboot seems to have all worked in favor of the franchise. Both God of War titles in the reboot have won the prestigious Game of the Year titles, so hopes are high for whenever the next game comes out.

Where do you see the God of War franchise heading in future titles? Let us know in the comments below!

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