Later this year, PlayStation and Sony Santa Monica will launch the latest game in the God of War franchise, God of War Ragnarok. It's the sequel to the 2018 soft reboot of the God of War franchise and is certain to be one of the most highly anticipated PlayStation exclusive releases of the PlayStation 5 generation. Yet even as Sony Santa Monica focuses in on God of War Ragnarok's final stretch of development, it's also already starting to look toward what's coming next.

In a recent job listing for Sony Santa Monica, the studio confirmed that a new project was already in development. The job listing is a significant one, as Sony Santa Monica is seeking a new Art Director. The Art Director position won't be working on God of War Ragnarok, however, as that position is already filled by Rafael Grassetti. Instead, the new Art Director is being brought on to help lead the development of an entirely new unannounced project.

RELATED: God of War Studio is Hiring for Unannounced Project

In several instances, the Art Director job profile mentions ad "new unannounced title," a "new journey," and a "large-scale new project" at Sony Santa Monica. Obviously, the language is extremely vague regarding what that project might be, but what's significant is that it's new and yet to publicly be confirmed. As for other details about the project, all the profile says is that Santa Monica Studio builds "genre-defining games" and that the position will be helping establish style guides for "environments, characters and creatures."

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sony santa monica art director job listing

What's next for Sony Santa Monica, from a general perspective, is a mystery. Sony Santa Monica has been the God of War studio for PlayStation going back to the original game's release in 2005, so it's difficult to imagine it working on anything else. However, God of War Ragnarok director Eric Williams is ending the "Norse Saga" with God of War Ragnarok. The studio's future is up in the air.

One possibility is God of War director Cory Barlog's next project. In 2021, Barlog confirmed he wouldn't be directing God of War Ragnarok, in part due to Sony Santa Monica's tradition of swapping directors between games. However, Barlog is still at Sony Santa Monica and has hinted at another game. It's possible that Barlog has been building a team while also working as God of War Ragnarok's producer and is now in need of an Art Director.

Time will tell what Sony Santa Monica's next project is. Perhaps the studio will pause God of War to work on something new, or perhaps it has two teams and can develop two AAA games at the same time. Perhaps it'll be a new IP, or perhaps it's just the next God of War game. With the success of the God of War soft reboot, a lot of Sony Santa Monica fans will be watching.

God of War Ragnarok releases in 2022 on PS4, and PS5.

MORE: What to Expect From God of War Ragnarok in 2022