Sony’s God of War may have ushered in a new era of the franchise on the PlayStation 4 but the game’s director isn’t quite so confident about bringing a sequel to the PlayStation 5. Having already promised that it won’t take another five years of development to reach God of War 5, game director Cory Barlog is already looking at what’s next for the Ghost of Sparta.
As a sequel to 2010’s God of War 3, Sony’s Santa Monica Studios picked up the long-running franchise and effectively started from scratch as it moved from the sunny climes of Greece to the snowy backdrop of Midgard, embracing Norse mythology. God of War was a unique gaming experience that was shot in one continuous shot and made the most of the PS4 Pro’s suped-up processing power. As Sony maps out its next-gen console, the leap might be even bigger for God of War 5.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Barlog explained how he prefers baby steps between games rather than having to tackle the logistics of a whole new console:
The God of War director went on to explain the history of the series and how developers have always been forced to adapt alongside to the different eras of PlayStation console just as they get comfortable:
“I think incremental is always really good. I liked PS4 to PS4 pro in the sense that with PS3 and PS4, it felt like, we’ve got to throw everything out, you know? We had to redo everything. I don’t like those situations as a developer because I feel like I just got this thing.”
Instead of crying out for a revolution that takes the PlayStation into cloud gaming and ditches its physical form, Barlog admits that he would be happy with a simple boost of horsepower for the PlayStation 5 that still allows the God of War 5 team to push the envelope further.
“God of War 2, for me, was great because we were experts at the platform. You know, it was at the end of the PS2’s lifecycle and we knew everything about it. I wanted to create another game on the PS2! It’s just everyone had already moved on and then it’s like, great, we’ve got to figure out PS3 now. And PS4, I look at it more as like, we can start, I think, exponentially growing with it but still feeling like you could take the same games and look at them at much higher resolution. So if I could run it much faster as opposed to throwing it all out and reprograming everything for the next generation or something.”
Although God of War III debuted on the PlayStation 3, the remastered version brought it up to date on the PS4 in 2015 to celebrate the franchise’s 10th anniversary. Barlog has been particularly vocal about God of War and was even moved to tears in an emotional thank you video to those who’d been involved with the game. With more than enough plot threads to continue the story of Kratos and Atreaus, a sequel is already in the pipeline alongside hopes of a continuing God of War franchise in Norse mythology.
Gamers are already warned that the current generation of PlayStation is nearing the end of its life cycle, and although a new console isn’t expected for at least three years, it looks increasingly likely that 2018’s God of War will be the only time Kratos gets to swing his Leviathan Axe on the PS4. With this year’s game still breaking records and being dubbed the highest-rated PS4 exclusive of all time, there is an exciting future ahead for God of War and its reinvigorated fan base. Barlog may have a mountain to climb when it comes to handling the PlayStation 5 and its rumors of a super-fast processing capability, but if God of War 5 is anything like its predecessors, it could be one to watch in the next-gen gaming race.
More: God of War 5 - Everything You Need to Know
Source: Daily Star
