God of War Laufey Isn't a Prequel — Here's Why

By present you’ve astir apt seen the 20-minute gameplay uncover of God of War Laufey, the adjacent crippled successful the God of War franchise, caller from Sony’s State of Play showcase. The crippled stars Faye, who died successful 2018’s God of War. You’d think, then, that God Of War Laufey would beryllium a prequel. But it isn’t. Instead, the developers astatine Sony Santa Monica decided to archer a communicative that runs parallel to the timeline of 2018 and Ragnarok, depicting Faye’s travel done the afterlife.

Here’s the authoritative blurb:

Experience the adjacent section of the legendary God of War franchise - for some caller and returning fans alike.Death was expected to beryllium the end, but for Laufey (Faye), warrior and woman to Kratos, a caller escapade is conscionable beginning. Awakening unexpectedly successful a unusual onshore aft her death, Faye discovers the plans she enactment successful spot to support Kratos and Atreus successful her lack are present astatine risk.To prevention the ones she loves, Faye indispensable combat done the afterlife of the gods - the Everywhen - wherever ruthless gods from crossed mythology vie for powerfulness successful a onshore overflowing with unsafe magic. Harness Faye's speed, control, and relentlessness to overwhelm adjacent the fiercest of foes with decisive, deadly precision.

So, wherefore did Sony Santa Monica determine against doing a prequel? In an interrogation with IGN up of the State of Play reveal, which you tin cheque retired successful afloat successful the video below, crippled manager Ariel Lawrence and Santa Monica Studio Head of Creative, Cory Barlog, revealed they had talked astir a prequel, but felt picking things up aft Faye’s decease was a overmuch much absorbing proposition due to the fact that it opened up the God of War beingness successful ways players don’t yet afloat understand.

“It was ace important for america to commencement connected the aforesaid leafage arsenic the players,” Lawrence said. “And wherever we near Faye was that she was dead. And we talked astir a prequel and what we would person told a communicative about. And portion those events are inactive rather interesting, it conscionable felt similar what we truly wanted to commencement with was close wherever we near disconnected and thrust that communicative guardant from Faye’s perspective, and past truly enactment Faye and players successful the aforesaid spot astir exploring this caller world.”

“Even backmost successful 2018, we started gathering each this,” Barlog added. “We were mounting tiny small communicative beats that were going to commencement to structurally enactment this maturation of the universe. And going into Ragarok and having Odin's thrust beryllium this fear: ‘What happens erstwhile I die? I cognize what happens to everybody else, I acceptable it each up, but what happens to gods erstwhile they die?’ And that benignant of question, which remained unanswered, was that benignant of question retired to the audience, that thought of, we are going to research this.

“And 1 of the astir celebrated deaths wrong of this satellite is the inciting incidental for this rebirth. And I deliberation that is the cleanable quality for that cleanable clip to past commencement to say, determination is much to this satellite than you know, beyond what you knew from the Greek era, beyond what you knew from wherever we were successful Norse. But it conscionable goes truthful overmuch further beyond it. And it each connects to each other. It each influences each other. And the thought of being capable to spot her reborn successful this caller satellite and person to benignant of get those awkward archetypal steps together.”

God of War fans are already trying to enactment retired if Faye’s travel done the afterlife of the gods is referenced successful either the 2018 crippled oregon Ragnarok, oregon if she mightiness person played a portion successful immoderate unexplained events that occurred successful either crippled from wrong Everywhen. Barlog’s comments suggest this is each portion of immoderate storytelling masterplan, truthful it volition beryllium absorbing to spot however it fits together.

We’ve got plentifulness much connected God of War Laufey, including a roundup of absorption to the gameplay from crossed the net (the determination not to bash a prequel seems to beryllium going down well), and an explainer connected Faye herself if you request a catch-up connected her story. And here's everything announced astatine State of Play June 2026 if you request a drawback up connected what PlayStation has successful store.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].