PlayStation Studios boss ‘can’t wait for people to see’ God of War Ragnarök
Santa Monica Studio’s sequel is Hermen Hulst’s most anticipated game
Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios boss Hermen Hulst has chosen God of War Ragnarök as his most anticipated game.
Santa Monica Studio’s sequel was announced via a brief teaser last September for release on PS5 in 2021, although nothing more has been heard of the project since.
Hulst singled out the game in a PlayStation Blog post in which various industry figures revealed which upcoming PlayStation titles they are most excited about.
“Playing God of War in 2018 was a great experience for me,” said Hulst, who was formerly managing director of Horizon Zero Dawn studio Guerrilla Games. “That series has always had amazing action and combat, but the emotional depth Santa Monica brought to Kratos’ story as a father was very memorable – especially since my son was only a little bit older than Atreus when I played it.
“So to see and hear the reaction to that tiny glimpse we unveiled at the PlayStation Showcase last September was very exciting. I can’t wait for people to see what Santa Monica is making.”
Unlike previous entries in the long-running series, which were inspired by Greek mythology, 2018’s God of War is loosely based on Norse mythology.
The series reboot was a critical and commercial success, winning multiple Game of the Year awards and selling over 10 million copies.
Insomniac Games and Spider-Man: Miles Morales creative director Brian Horton also singled out the next God of War game as his most anticipated title.
“It’s not an easy task to reinvent a beloved franchise like God of War, and the 2018 game exceeded expectations, delivering a personal story about father and son, a stunning world and incredible mechanics,” he said.
“I can’t wait to see how the characters grow and how they build on the amazing foundation of the first game with the power of PS5.”
PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan recently refused to comment on whether God of War Ragnarök will be released for PS4 as well as PS5.
Earlier this month Santa Monica Studio released a God of War PS5 optimisation patch, introducing a default setting which runs the game in 4K resolution (checkerboard) and at 60 frames per second.
