God of War Laufey marks the first time in the franchise that you’ll be playing as anyone other than the Ghost of Sparta, Kratos. Instead, you’ll play as Faye, his late wife whose death kicked off the events of the God of War reboot in 2018. It’s a big change for the series that has rubbed some fans the wrong way, but Laufey’s director sees that as a good thing.
GameSpot spoke to God of War Laufey’s director, Ariel Lawrence, who explained why fans who are skeptical of the new direction, and even those angry with it, show that they care about the series deeply. And it’s those people that Sony Santa Monica hope come along for this new ride.
“I’m so thankful that we have the fans that we have. I’m so thankful that we have people who care,” Lawrence explained. “And whether or not they care, they’re upset, or they think we should do something that’s different, I would rather they care. So we’re arms open, ready to show them Faye’s journey and have them fall in love with her like we have. That’s the exciting part for us.”
Asked whether the negativity fueled the team in any way, Lawrence explained that the team instead felt challenged to show those who are skeptical what it was capable of, in the same way that it has in the past. And that, contrary to assumptions, this isn’t the end for Kratos’ story.
“I understand everybody’s reservations and hesitations and I know that it comes from a good place,” Lawrence concluded. “They have been on that journey with Kratos as long as I have, right? And it means something to them and I hope that this is more of a ‘yes and’ for expanding. We’re not leaving anybody behind. We’ve got plenty more Kratos coming. This is really just a place for adventure to go beyond what we had.”
You can read our full interview with Ariel Lawrence, which dives into the changes to God of War’s combat, how it lines up with the timelines of previous games, and what fans might expect from Kratos and Atreus, should they appear.