God of War Creator Unhappy With Kratos’ New Character & Story

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Avinash Jaisrani

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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God of War is a completely different franchise compared to its earliest entries today. Following the 2018 revival, this franchise is more focused on a narrative, placing the character of Kratos as the central focus.

This new direction has earned the IP a lot of success. With God of War Ragnarok reaching 15 million sales as one of PlayStation’s fastest-selling games, this series has found new life after 2018.

However, God of War creator David Jaffe appears unsatisfied with its latest direction. During a recent video, he explained his lack of interest in the new story, claiming to be unhappy with the IP’s direction and Kratos’ character.

Why it matters: The new God of War games have been well received. A major part of this success is the fact that audiences have been able to connect with Kratos as a character.

Discussing the recent entries in God of War’s Norse saga, David Jaffe recalled that Santa Monica’s team inserted parts of their growth into characters like Kratos.

While everybody’s favorite Greek God used to be a machine of violence in the past, his latest character is more focused on family and caring about others, particularly Atreus.

However, David Jaffe believes protagonists like Kratos should not deviate too much from their core focus. Drawing parallels between Kratos and Indiana Jones, he claimed that both characters suffered from similar problems and said:

“I don’t want these characters to grow.”

Sharing his thoughts about Kratos and his current role as a father figure, David Jaffe stated:

“That is not what this character is. Stop.”

Interestingly, David Jaffe seemed to enjoy Santa Monica’s take on God of War in 2018. When asked about his thoughts about the first game, he claimed that Kratos was an interesting character in that entry, but the latest title has not kept up the momentum.

The God of War creator said:

“I don’t like the direction that God of War is going in at all.”

These comments are interesting since it can be argued that Kratos was always a man of family. In fact, his entire motivation to seek revenge began with the death of his wife and child.

While the narrative evolved into a more personal revenge story later on, it is hard to deny that Kratos’ actions were always fueled by his love for his dead family. Still, it seems David Jaffe did not enjoy God of War Ragnarok much.

This is not the first time the creator has delivered a controversial opinion. Not too long ago, he pointed out that Spider-Man 2 lacks innovation.

While many criticized the former developer for this comment, the formulaic approach may have been the main reason Spider-Man 2 failed to win any awards at The Game Awards last week.

Despite David Jaffe’s opinion, the general public seems happy with God of War Ragnarok. The game recently received a new DLC, further fleshing out Kratos and his journey over the last two decades.

Avinash Jaisrani

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