God of War 4 Tease Sony PS4 Event

There's no shortage of speculation over what Sony might unveil at today's (presumed) PlayStation 4 announcement event, but as anyone watching the industry these days knows, hardware isn't all that matters. And when it comes to console exclusive, few pack the punch of God of War's protagonist, Kratos.

But with Sony's Santa Monica Studio hard at work on God of War: Ascension, the prospect of God of War 4 is still a long way away, right? Apparently not, as the studio is now teasing that an announcement may be coming today at Sony's event.

It's not surprising that God of War 4 is in development, as one of Sony's most profitable and critically-praised properties. But given the decision to release Ascension next (despite some people thinking the game would bear the '4'), and not a numbered sequel, it was implied that the developer was taking their time with developing God of War 4. That would make the most sense, considering the likelihood that the game would be launching on Sony's next console, not the PlayStation 3.

Now it seems that before Ascension is even released, Sony may give some sort of announcement during today's PS4 unveiling. At least according to the studio's Twitter account, just one day before the event:

What does our future hold for tomorrow? We heard they may open Pandoras Box (again) live on stage, that would be AWESOME #playstation2013

– Sony Santa Monica (@SonySantaMonica) February 20, 2013

The developer later went on to explain that while some fans might fear the focus was shifting towards the next numbered sequel in the God of War series, they are "1000000000% focused on Ascension right now." A fact reinforced by the behind-the-scenes looks provided at the game's development, with claims that only now is the design team truly doing their best work.

We'd have to give Santa Monica Studio the benefit of the doubt at this point, since looks at both the singleplayer and multiplayer of Ascension don't have us concerned from a quality standpoint. If God of War 4 is announced today, expect it to be heavily tied to Ascension, since it makes little sense for Sony to willfully steal one game's thunder for the sake of its sequel. Even less, given the massive budget of the live-action Ascension Super Bowl trailer.

God of War Ascension Sony Amazon Tease

It's also possible that whoever was handling the studio's Twitter account may be playing on fan hopes, since at this point, it's hard to believe anything more than a simple confirmation or sizzle reel could be ready for public eyes. Whatever the case, there may still be a few surprises coming out of today's event.

Are you hoping to see God of War 4 announced and released as a launch title, or would you prefer the studio take a bit more time to do justice to both? Sound off in the comments. We'll keep you updated as the event takes place.

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Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: Santa Monica Studio (via VG24/7)