2005’s God of War from developer Santa Monica Studio was a revelation when it released on the PlayStation 2. In only two years, the studio would develop a sequel, God of War II, which somehow ended up being bigger and better than its predecessor. A developer at Santa Monica has reflected on her time working at the company, particularly this period in the sequel’s development.
Speaking during a God of War 20th anniversary panel, Santa Monica Studio game director Ariel Lawrence reflected on her time working on the original God of War trilogy and some of the challenges the team faced while making it. “We didn’t know what God of War, the first one, would do,” she said. “When it finally released we were like, ‘Oh wow! Everybody loves it.'”
After the explosive success of the first game, Sony approached Santa Monica Studio with a rather strict timeline to develop God of War II. Lawrence explained: “The company came around and was like, ‘Okay, you’re gonna make the second one. And you’re gonna do it in half the time, and it’s gonna be twice as long with more bosses and enemies.’ All of us were like, ‘Okay.'”
Despite the hefty deadline and ambitions to make a grander sequel, the team’s work paid off. God of War II, which was 2018’s God of War director Cory Barlog’s first job in the director’s chair alongside series creator David Jaffe, turned out to be a massive critical and commercial success, moreso than the first game. “We did it,” Lawrence said. “I don’t remember a lot of sleep those years.”
Santa Monica Studio released God of War Ragnarok in 2022 to critical acclaim. The studio is currently working on a new project, though we don’t know anything about it yet. If you’re curious, see where God of War II ranks on our list of the worst to best God of War games.
Source: PlayStation
