Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
god of war ragnarok norse saga conclusion ending end cory barlog explains why sony santa monica

God of War Ragnarok Producer Explains Why Its Norse Saga Is Ending

God of War Ragnarok producer Cory Barlog of Sony’s Santa Monica Studio has explained why Kratos’ adventure through Norse mythology is ending in this upcoming title. Barlog, who was previously the director of 2018’s God of War, discussed it in an interview with Kaptain Kuba on YouTube.

Recommended Videos

Fans got a longer look at the sequel during last week’s PlayStation Showcase, where Santa Monica Studio revealed that the game would provide a conclusion to its Norse saga. With many questioning why the team isn’t keeping the same settings for a potential trilogy, Barlog elaborated on how the decision came to be:

“I think one of the most important reasons is the first game took five years. The second game – I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I’m just going to throw out that it’s going to take a close-to-similar time, right, to do this, and then if you think, wow, a third one in that same (amount of time) — we’re talking, like, a span of close to 15 years of a single story. And I feel like that’s just too stretched out.”

He continued, saying that he feels like taking that much time to complete that story is “asking too much” and would take too long. Barlog spoke with God of War Ragnarok director Eric Williams about it and expressed that he thought a satisfying ending and conclusion could be made to the Norse saga with the sequel.

Barlog elaborated on why: “Because most of what we were trying to do from the beginning was to tell something about Kratos and Atreus, that the core of this story’s engine is really the relationship between these two characters, and the complexity radiates out, like ripples in a pond. And we could make it an ocean and have those ripples just go for thousands of miles, but is that necessary, and is that beneficial? Or are we feeling like it’s just spreading it too far apart, the ripples get too far apart? And you sort of lose the plot a little bit.”

Barlog and Williams seem confident in the decision to finish the Norse saga with God of War Ragnarok, as Barlog added, “Also, as we started to talk about what the story could be, about where Eric really wanted to go, the things that were interesting and exciting for him, I was like, yeah, I really do think we can do this. Because it is centralizing itself always around these characters and then really giving everybody the time that they need.”

The dramatic ending of the Norse saga will arrive in God of War Ragnarok when it launches on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 sometime in 2022.


The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Michael Cripe
Michael Cripe
Michael joined The Escapist team in 2019 but has been covering games, movies, TV, and music since 2015. When he’s not writing, Michael is probably playing Super Mario Sunshine, Dead Space, The Binding of Isaac, or Doom Eternal. You can follow his news coverage and reviews at The Escapist, but his work has appeared on other sites like OnlySP, Gameranx, and Kansas City’s The Pitch, too. If you’d like to connect and talk about the latest pop-culture news, you can follow Michael on Twitter (@MikeCripe), Instagram (mike_cripe), or LinkedIn if that’s your thing.