Right now, there are still a ton of questions for what the future of gaming holds, as the world has only received glimpses at the next-gen consoles. The PS5 still remains the biggest enigma of next-gen gaming, as while there are a few facts known about it, there still hasn't been an official reveal. All rumors point to a PS5 reveal event in February, however, and many regard this as the industry's worst kept secret. At this point, it seems highly unlikely that this event doesn't take place, but a recent rumor states something that may excite fans: assuming this even does take place, God of War developer Santa Monica Studio is said to be there.
Immediately, this brings to mind the possibility that its sequel, God of War 2 (or whatever it's proper name will be), will be there. The soft reboot of the franchise was not only well-received by fans but hailed as one of the best PS4 exclusives out there, meaning it would be a good jumping point for discussions of the PS5. Now, it's worth mentioning that this doesn't necessarily confirm that God of War 2 would launch alongside the PS5, as rumors also indicate Spider-Man 2 will be there and announced with a fall 2021 date.
Just solid confirmation of God of War 2 would be enough for many, even though it's almost a sure thing that it's currently in development. After all, the God of War devs have commented on its story and teased a new game in the past, so the most logical conclusion is that it is in the works and could be revealed at the rumored PS5 event. Of course, there could be a slight snag with that, in the rumor claiming that Santa Monica Studio will be there, but with a brand new IP.
Rumors, as always, should be taken with a massive grain of salt, but the PS5 reveal event is said to have Santa Monica Studio there unveiling its new game, Legendz. As it stands, only that title is currently known, as the rumor itself did not provide any story, gameplay, or commentary as to what Legendz was meant to be. It's entirely possible then that it's not God of War 2 revealed but this new game instead, and while that could potentially be disappointing, that's not entirely the only possibility when Legendz is factored in.
First, for all that is known about this rumored new IP, it could just be a code name for a project in development. In other words, Legendz could be something small, it could be something unrelated, or it could even be the code name for God of War 2 itself. That does sound a bit strange, but given that legends and mythology go hand in hand, it's not entirely a stretch. That, and there's been plenty of strange code names over the years.
Furthermore, on the basis that Legendz and God of War 2 itself are two separate games, that doesn't mean it's an exclusive process where only one of them is in development. Studios like Respawn Entertainment, for example, managed games like Apex Legends while simultaneously developing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Another example is Bungie, which is reportedly working on its own multiplayer IP while still producing content for Destiny 2. In short, it's becoming a trend to see studios juggle bigger IPs while having some multiplayer or secondary game in development as well.
This could be a double-edged sword, though. Assuming the rumors are true, that the PS5 event is legitimately happening and God of War developer Santa Monica Studio will be there, it's possible that only one of the two games would be announced. Everyone who sees Santa Monica Studio may immediately think God of War 2, so if it were just to show Legendz, that may not be the best move, though the entirely depends on the game. It may be that Legendz gets a full reveal and an earlier release date, while God of War 2 gets a tease and a later release window, or vice versa for all that matters. This may easily be the safest approach, but as for now, it's mere speculation.
Either way, God of War 2 could seriously be at this event, so players just need to wait and see if it is actually announced and temper their expectations through then. It would make a lot of sense to feature the game there and would only further the hype surrounding the PS5. The good thing is that, as February draws closer, confirmation to this event also does. And the sooner this event arrives, the sooner the future of God of War can be elaborated upon to some degree.
God of War is out now, exclusively for the PS4.