God of War developer Santa Monica Studio has discussed Kratos’ future as the figurehead of its flagship franchise, following the reveal of its Faye-starring next chapter, God of War Laufey.
Speaking in an interview uploaded to PlayStation’s YouTube channel, Santa Monica Studio head of creative Cory Barlog said that “there’s always going to be Kratos games” — a position backed up by a later post from the company’s official social media account, which stated that the studio had “many more stories to tell with him.”
Early reaction to God of War Laufey has been mixed, with some fans praising the game’s combat and visuals, while others have been criticizing the simplistic gameplay seen in Laufey’s opening section — and, predictably, the fact that fan-favorite Kratos wasn’t center stage. (For a full catch-up, we’ve got an explainer on Faye herself for more on her story.)
“Faye is, while it’s a different thing, it’s still part of the larger tapestry of what we truly really want to explore, all of these different characters in there,” Barlog said of the new game. “But there’s always going to be Kratos games, like, throughout the whole history. We’re super excited about that.”
“Oh for sure,” added God of War Laufey director Ariel Lawrence. “We can’t not tell stories about the big guy.”
Our first glimpse at God of War Laufey, seen in a 20-minute gameplay segment aired at the end of this week’s PlayStation State of Play showcase, began with Kratos and Atreus burning Faye’s body — as seen in 2018’s God of War. Kratos then pops up again shortly after, aiding Faye while she’s briefly imprisoned. It remains unclear if Kratos will make any other appearances before Laufey’s credits roll, or if these brief glimpses of the hero are it, as he’s then busy with the events of God of War Ragnarök.
“Kratos is the God of War – we have many more stories to tell with him,” Santa Monica Studio’s official X/Twitter account wrote in a post issued last night. “For now, we’re excited to take fans on a journey into the afterlife of the gods with Faye and hope you’ll come along for the ride!”
Of course, Santa Monica Studio has also announced a remake of the God of War Greek trilogy remake — which, of course, will see Kratos back in the spotlight. The original God of War launched back in 2005 for PS2, with its sequel arriving two years later. God of War 3, for PS3, then debuted in 2010. No release date for the God of War Trilogy Remake was announced, and work is still in its “early stages.”
“We’ll always tell stories about Kratos, but I think for us, it was just a chance to talk about somebody who was so pivotal to the beginning,” Barlog told IGN previously in an exclusive interview, which discussed why Faye was chosen as the protagonist. “For us, it’s not a departure; it’s more of an expansion,” he added.
Here’s everything announced at State of Play June 2026 if you need a catch up on what else PlayStation has in store.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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