David Jaffe is often the name most associated with the God of War franchise, but when it comes to the original trilogy and the series’ upcoming “soft reboot,” Corey Barlog’s name can’t exactly be ignored either.
EuroGamer had the chance to interview Barlog recently, discussing everything from his role in creating the original three God of War games (he began as an animator and was soon promoted to director for God of War 2) to the direction he sees the upcoming 2018 God of War going in. In particular, he had the following to say when asked about the changing gaming industry and why Kratos is being taken in a new direction.
I think the industry, the gamers, the team, myself; we’ve all grown. We’ve evolved forward. Looking at what we’re playing now and comparing it to 10 years ago, it’s very different. That’s not to say 10 years ago that wasn’t awesome, or not even awesome today, it’s just as creatives, I don’t think we want to keep rehashing the same concept. I think for me especially, it’s like looking back at your high school or college years and going: okay, that’s who I was then, that’s interesting, but this is how I view the world slightly differently now. I’m not a different person, I’m just seeing things through a slightly different lens.
Notably, Barlog wrote the script for God of War 3 but departed the team before its completion. While he admits that some folks on the development staff aren’t exactly thrilled about the series’ new direction (or that it isn’t simply recreating the old formula), Barlog expressed sympathy but also asks for their patience. Much of the staff working on the new God of War were involved with creating the original games, after all, and it’s safe to say they know what they’re doing.
We still have some people that are upset that it’s not the exact same thing, but to them I just say: give us a chance. If you liked God of War at all, I made the first two. I brought back a bunch of people that were in charge of that and this is the old band, man. We’re just looking at it through a different lens.
SIE Santa Monica’s God of War has no formal release date just yet, but we do know it’s coming exclusively to PS4 sometime during the first half of 2018.
