The news of Santa Monica Studio, who are the creators of the renowned God Of War franchise, is making waves across the gaming community, with reports coming in that the studio is working on a new IP for the first time in nearly 20 years after only working on the God Of War series exclusively and helping other studios with their projects, this comes from a former employee who recently returned to the company.
Overview
Indeed, Santa Monica Studio is only known for the God of War series, as the company hasn’t released any other IP since 2005. This will mark a significant departure from the God of War series and a new venture into some other genre or type of game that the studio is aiming for. Santa Monica Studio initially started with a modest entry into gaming through Kinetica, an early PlayStation 2 title, but only after the release of the first-ever God of War did the studio come into the limelight.
The reports came in when a former Santa Monica Studio employee recently returned to the studio in a new position as a character supervisor on a brand-new IP, according to their account on LinkedIn. While this isn’t anything concrete, it is safe to say that Santa Monica Studios is working on something that is not God Of War, as the studio revealed they would explore new IPs and ideas, even hinting at the remake of the original God of War Trilogy but with no update on the same.
What will be this New IP?
Sony has been increasingly innovative with its IPs in recent years. The Horizon series, known for its expansive open-world action, has expanded into a more family-friendly realm with the multiplatform spinoff LEGO Horizon Adventures. Also, the beloved PS5 tech demo Astro’s Playroom is getting a standalone sequel. Sony is investing a lot into newer IPs as it has become crucial for the company to fight its competitors in a tough fight with a good catalogue of original titles exclusive to its platform, which is the PlayStation 5.
Santa Monica is owned by Sony and a push seems likely with even the lead creative director Cory Barlog at Santa Monica showing past interest in building a new IP which is a Sci-fi narrative base adventure just like how God of War is centered around a deep narrative. While the details remain scarce on the project we can assume it can be anything and hope for the best for the studio to deliver as they have in the past.
Thoughts
Santa Monica Studio has consistently impressed fans with its high-quality games and services. Known for its crafty attention to detail, the studio has the potential to transcend its reputation as just the creators of God of War if given the necessary time and resources. The recent success of the God of War reboot, with both the 2018 instalment and God of War Ragnarök receiving widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike, is a testament to the studio’s exceptional craftsmanship for gaming and respect for their fans. As we look forward to more news and updates from Santa Monica Studio in the coming weeks and months, it’s worth noting that God of War Ragnarök is set to launch on PC on September 19, 2024. If you haven’t experienced it yet, now is the perfect time to pre-order it on Driffle.
Check out our in-depth God of War Ragnarök review for PC review here.
