If a new update is to be believed, fans could be waiting quite some time for God of War 6 to be released.
Created by Sony's Santa Monica Studio, the mythology-based action epic has spanned five mainline games, a PS3 prequel, two handheld spin-offs, and an upcoming streaming adaptation.
To put it plainly, Sony Santa Monica's primary dev team has been living in the land of Kratos in one way or another for a very long time, having only released God of War games since 2005.
God of War 6 Release Prospects In Doubt
According to new information from Sony Santa Monica, the God of War team may not be working on God of War 6 next.
The update was spotted in a LinkedIn profile of one of the God of War: Ragnarok studio's developers (via ResetEra). The developer's "about" section (which has since been changed) read that they were brought onto the team to look "after the entire Character Development pipeline on their new IP:"
"Santa Monica Studios presented the opportunity of coming back as Character Supervisor, looking after the entire Character Development pipeline on their new IP, so here I am, thrilled to be back, working again with the crew and pushing Characters in videogames together."
This is the first hint that Santa Monica is working on something other than the God of War franchise since Ragnarok was released on PlayStation 5 in 2022.
If this proves to be the case, that would likely mean the next game from the studio will not be God of War 6 (the third in the Norse mythology soft reboot of the series) and the wait for the title will be longer than some may have expected.
One has to remember though that Sony Santa Monica has grown to the size of likely having multiple teams, so there is always the chance that the next God of War game is also being developed alongside whatever this new IP may be.
This would mean there will be a wait for the next God of War, but one not nearly as long as if there was only one team at the studio.
God of War (2018) director Cory Barlog notably vacated the directing chair of its sequel, stepping into a lead producer role for Ragnarok.
Many assumed this was because he had moved on to some other title outside the God of War franchise, lining it up to be the next title from the studio while he helped in a more broad sense on Ragnarok.
The last fans heard from Barlog, he posted on his personal X (formerly Twitter) profile in March 2024 saying he had "[seen] some early things coming together" on his new project at the studio and it's "fucking beyond brilliant:"
"Seeing some early things coming together on this thing I am working on right now and GOD DAMN the people I get to work with at Sony Santa Monica are just fucking beyond brilliant.
Video games are cool."
While not confirmed to be this new game, it seems likely that is the case.
Will God of War 6 Ever Be Released?
This mention of a new IP is not all that surprising, given just how long Sony Santa Monica has focused almost exclusively on God of War, but it will come as a shock to fans waiting for God of War 6 with eager anticipation.
Not to worry though, another game in the series is almost surely coming, it just might be a bit of a wait.
The new Norse God of War saga was reportedly originally set to be a trilogy before it was revealed Ragnarok would bring this particular chapter in the franchise to a close.
According to a behind-the-scenes video released before the latest God of War sequel, there was a lot of debate over "whether the Norse saga was going to be a trilogy or two games," but God of War (2018) director Cory Barlog ultimately made the call:
"Whether the Norse saga was going to be a trilogy or two games was something we debated a lot. There were obviously pros and cons for either approach. So we waited for Cory Barlog to weigh in, and he did, and he said, 'Let's do it in two.'"
And while Ragnarok was very much the end of one chapter, it also felt like the beginning of another.
The sequel left series figurehead Kratos and his son Atreus, whom gamers had come to know over the two Norse Saga games, headed on separate journies.
Some had assumed that the next God of War game would pick up with Atreus (aka Loki) in the Nine Realms and further the Norse story even more. Others thought God of War 6 would again feature Kratos perhaps in a new realm of gods like ancient Egypt or Rome.
Whatever it may be, there are plenty of narrative plates still spinning in the air for Sony Santa Monica to pick up on.
Plus, one cannot forget how the last two games in the series were reviewed and how well they sold.
God of War (2018) and Ragnarok sit at exactly 94 on Metacritic, and, as of November 2023, the franchise had sold over 66 million games worldwide.
Simply put, the series remains one of PlayStation's biggest money-makers, so it would be naive to think another entry would not be on the horizon at some point down the line.
It just may take a few years longer, as the studio tries not to step on its own feet with whatever this seemingly new IP project has in store.
God of War: Ragnarok is now avaliable on PlayStation 5.
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