God Of War Ragnarok Was Nearly Split Into Two Games
It might be the wrong reference, but, "Winter is coming." A cold breeze is blowing in across Midgard, as Sony Santa Monica prepares to release God of War Ragnarok. Even though the upcoming game will be the second (and last) in the Norse mythology era, it turns out we could've had a whole trilogy.
When the first God of War came onto the scene in 2005, we followed the Ghost of Sparta as he beheaded the various gods and monsters of Greek mythology. It was a formula that worked, and away from the original God of War trilogy, we had various prequels and spin-offs that kept the story going.
That all changed when we whisked Kratos off to Norse mythology with 2018's confusingly titled God of War. Still, it worked, and with God of War decimating its AAA rivals, there's a lot of pressure for Ragnarok to return. Although some think it will topple Elden Ring as Game of the Year, it looks like it's the end of the road... for now.
Why Isn't God Of War A Trilogy?
Last September, Producer Cory Barlog explained how the lengthy development between games means a new trilogy would've taken 15 years to make - which he said was too long. That doesn't mean the idea of more adventures in the realms of Thor Odinson and his war-torn daddy weren't considered, and at one point, Ragnarok could've been a two-game conclusion to the story.
In a new video discussing the making of Ragnarok, Lead Writer Rich Gaubery explained, "There were pros and cons for either approach. We waited for Cory Barlog to weigh in, and he did. And he said 'let's do it in two.'" Senior Producer Ariel Angelotti added, "The consequence to that is how do you wrap up this story in one game and do Ragnarok justice? How do we lead up to that and then have a big moment at the end of the game and wrap up all those loose threads?"
What's Next For God Of War?
Assuming that Ragnarok has the same meteoric rise to the top of the charts like its predecessor, no one is buying this is the franchise's swansong. Even if in some weird multiverse, Ragnarok crashes and burns, the God of War name will undoubtedly continue in some form. The question is, what?
Things will likely become clearer once the final credits have rolled, but there are various theories that Kratos will perish. Even if this is the case, others think an adult Atreus could move us into a new mythology. We've already pitched the idea of a God of War set in Chinese mythology, and looking at how many different mythologies Assassin's Creed has covered, there's no shortage of possibilities. Sadly, we won't be seeing Kratos and Thor go hammer to axe in a non-existent Ragnarok sequel.
