The PlayStation 4's time is coming to an end but looking back at a generation of games, the console has delivered some outstanding hits. One, in particular, is Sony Santa Monica's God of War and while no official sequel has been announced yet, game director Cory Barlog has opened up about how the franchise may utilize the features of the PS5 in the future.
God of War was an instant hit when it was first released, reinventing the story of Kratos for a new generation and subsequently scoring many game awards. A sequel to the God of War franchise has long been rumored but not officially confirmed. Santa Monica Studios' focus has always been on the God of War games and it seems inevitable after the success of the latest iteration that a sequel would be in the works.
Appearing as a guest on Gary Whitta's Animal Talking show, Barlog discussed how the studio is preparing to use the PlayStation 5's new technology. One of the main features Barlog was excited about was minimizing loading screens saying "we've gone to great lengths in this series, to try to hide any kind of loading." As many know the PS5 will feature an ultra-fast SSD meaning loading times will be dramatically reduced, which is something the studio seems to be very excited about for its next game.
Barlog also teased that "there's some really cool stuff that I think we're going to be able to do" and that the jump between PlayStation consoles this time around won't be as dramatic as the transition between PS2 and Ps3 was. "This [generation] feels like it's going to be a bit different... we've gotten a really good foundation of understanding so transitioning in between generations is going to be a bit less of a massive leap of faith."
While this isn't any further confirmation of a God of War sequel, it does indicate that the studio is developing something for the Ps5. As Barlog said, this generational shift may not be as difficult as previous ones, meaning a new God of War will likely build on the foundations of the previous PS4 game and as a result could reduce the amount of time in development.
The studio is definitely still ingrained in the God of War world as it is suspected that a PC port of the PS4 game could be coming soon. Following the trend of other PlayStation exclusives such as Death Stranding and Horizon Zero Dawn, releasing God of War for PC would be a good test run for the devs to prepare for next-gen technology.
Barlog recently shot down rumors of a sequel to God of War being announced soon, but this doesn't mean it isn't in development. The studio is clearly preparing for the PlayStation 5 and it makes sense that Sony would use an exclusive God of War sequel to further increase the desirability of its new console.
God of War is currently available exclusively on PS4.
Source: Animal Talking