God of War creators trade blows as series founder slams Kratos’ new direction

God of War series creator David Jaffe did not hold back about his feelings towards the modern God of War games in his latest YouTube video. He brutally dissected the franchise’s new direction but Cory Barlog hasn’t taken it lying down.

2018’s Game of the Year God of War is often referred to as a soft reboot of its beloved hack-and-slash predecessors. Though to be fair, the character of Kratos has evolved into someone almost unrecognizable from the hulking maniac in the franchise’s earlier titles.

It’s a change that has been so well received that Sony’s Santa Monica Studio was able to release the massively successful God of War Ragnarok and a free DLC to cap it off. Our own review called the most recent entry “a stunning achievement in storytelling” but not everyone feels that way apparently.

God of War series creator David Jaffe took to YouTube to vent some of his frustrations with the new, more vulnerable take on Kratos. He likened the new direction of the series to the Indiana Jones franchise and illustrated his issues with the change in characterization.

Jaffe did qualify that while he very much enjoyed 2018’s God of War, Ragnarok was not his “cup of tea”. He explained that what he viewed as the insertion of the developers’ own personal journeys had watered Kratos, and the franchise, down somewhat.

“If you’re gonna build a brand new IP or you’re gonna build a character into the God of War lore and that character is struggling or dealing with your problems … that’s wonderful,” Jaffe asserted. “Don’t take the character Kratos, or Indiana Jones and go ‘You know what, I’m Steven Spielberg, I’m older now and I’m really into family, and I wanna tell stories about fathers and sons’. No, f**k you.”

“I don’t want these characters to grow. I don’t give a f**k what you’re going through at the studio,” he continued. “If you wanna make something that’s not that (God of War), that’s cool but don’t call it God of War.”

Since the video was published, initial reporting from 80 Level has gone viral on Twitter and found its way into the view of Cory Barlog who steered the newer direction for the God of War franchise. Barlog countered with a simple gif to illustrate his feelings on the matter.

Jaffe’s criticisms have kicked off a major discussion on whether or not his take is a valid one. A minority of fans appear to agree and cite his role as the series creator as the only necessary credibility.

Far more people seem to think that Kratos’ evolution and the inner struggle to contain his rage reflect a deeper and more relatable character. We just like throwing that snazzy new axe of his.