Carson was apparently given a warm welcome, and the actor was quite quick-witted with his response to questions about what it’s been like to come back to God of War after Christopher Judge took over the reins from him in Kratos’s Norse chapter.

In a post from IGN on X, Carson fields a question at MEGACON Orlando, his relaxed demeanor being a drastic departure from what he brings to the table when he embodies Kratos.

“They came back after they realized they let me go prematurely. Great conversation, though. Eric came out, we had dinner, we talked about it, and he told me what they wanted to do, and I was down for it.”

Carson seems as thrilled as we are about his comeback. We might have welcomed some news about where the remake is in its development, but its announcement was a welcome relief from all the tantalizing rumors from last year. We’re happy to wait for our return to Greece, with the fond hope that it’s as spectacular as it can be.

God of War Trilogy Remake doesn’t have a release date yet, and probably won’t get one for some time. As it’s in early development, Santa Monica Studio is working heads down until it’s ready to reveal more. However, it seems another title is in the works, reportedly featuring Kratos’ wife, Faye, from the Norse saga. It’s allegedly launching in the first half of 2027, with a reveal potentially set for May or June 2026.

https://x.com/IGN/status/2039089165975892362

Faye being the main character in this game comes courtesy of NateTheHate, who also believes that it will be a more action-oriented game, different from the two God of War titles based on Norse mythology. While Faye’s presence might indicate a return to dealing with Norse Gods, throughout both games, the character has been noted as having had plenty of adventures on her own.

The title could still end up bringing us to the long-rumored Ancient Egypt setting, albeit by replacing Kratos as the protagonist. Since we also don’t know about the timeline during which its story will be set, there is also no word on whether Atreus will return.

The idea that this new title will be an entirely new franchise that takes place in the same universe as God of War first came about earlier this week thanks to the LinkedIn page of a writer on the project. In the description of their work experience, they  mentioned having “Helped shape narrative vision and creative direction at Sony Santa Monica Studio for a new franchise within the God of War universe, developing characters, storylines, and original lore that expanded the acclaimed IP.”

While this could also easily describe the recently-released God of War Sons of Sparta, they went on to note that she “helped shape the narrative vision and franchise development for a yet-to-be-announced project in the God of War universe.”

Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier also took to the ResetEra forums to discuss this project, noting this was what he was referring to when he said back in July 2025 that Sony Santa Monica’s next game was going the be a reinvention of an old IP. At the time, he said, “it’s not a new IP but it might feel like one.”

Just last month, industry insider shinobi602 had said that a new God of War game is expected to be unveiled later this month. The game, directed by Cory Barlog, is slated for a 2027 launch, with a reveal happening either in May or June.

A recent datamine of God of War Ragnarök also gave us some hints about what we can expect from the next title. Dataminers had seemingly discovered some hidden cutscenes in the game’s files, featuring references to a host of characters. Among these cutscenes was one where “beings from the higher plane” were having a conversation about Atreus and Odin. Another one even included references to Egyptian Sun God Ra.

This reportedly comes from one of the writers on the project who “Helped shape narrative vision and creative direction at Sony Santa Monica Studio for a new franchise within the God of War universe, developing characters, storylines, and original lore that expanded the acclaimed IP.

“Integrated story with gameplay and world-building through scripts and narrative content, collaborating across disciplines to deliver emotionally driven experiences for a global audience. Contributed to long-term narrative and franchise strategy.” And in case you think this is for Sons of Sparta, which Santa Monica Studio helped with, it explicitly says that they helped “shape the narrative vision and franchise development for a yet-to-be-announced project in the God of War universe.”

There’s also Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who responded on Resetera with “I suppose now it’s become obvious what I meant by ‘not a new IP, but it might feel like one,’” referring to his teases from last year.

Unfortunately, there are still so many questions. What about Kratos perhaps returning to Greece and potentially wielding a scythe? Will this new franchise star Atreus, his son from the Norse Saga? For that matter, how likely is it that this is yet another title, completely separate from whatever Cory Barlog is allegedly working on?

It’s hard to say. The only potential silver lining is reports that we may not have to wait until 2028 to get our hands on it, which suggests a release next year. Time will tell, so stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, check out our review for God of War Sons of Sparta, which we gave a nine out of ten for its art style and combat.

Sources told Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier that following the release of God of War Ragnarök, Bluepoint wanted to make an original title. It’s a spin-off of the God of War franchise, a live-service project where Atreus somehow ended up in the underworld, Hades, and apparently involved controlling different versions of the characters. “Some sort” of co-op was envisioned, as was post-launch support, but these weren’t exactly set in stone.

Since Bluepoint never worked on a live-service title and was a relatively smaller team that wasn’t well-versed in design, it reportedly failed to really make any progress (that too with Sony Santa Monica’s assistance). Some employees also apparently weren’t all that keen on the project, and thought they should make something akin to Demon’s Souls or Ragnarök.

Of course, the rest is history – Sony cancelled the project in early 2025 and claimed it was working to find something else for the studio. After the alleged Bloodborne remake was rejected, Bluepoint seemingly pitched a spin-off to Ghost of Tsushima and an updated Shadow of the Colossus Remake.

If you haven’t played the games that brought this chapter of Kratos’ story to life, the scene in question is part of the early hours of the first title. Kratos has just lost Faye, his wife and Atreus’s mother, and is trying to determine whether or not his son is ready for the long journey to the highest peak in all of Midgard, where they must spread her ashes. The former God of War is quite a grouch in these early days of the adventure, and Kratos’s dour expression in the photo makes us believe that Ryan Hurst has done his homework.

Of course, the star of the show, in our humble opinion, is Callum Vinson’s Atreus (or Boy as Kratos knows him then), who’s looking absolutely adorable even as he seems to be under pressure to prove himself to a father he doesn’t fully understand yet.

All in all, things are looking quite good for the show, although it might be a while before we get to see it in action, despite a second season already on the way.

https://x.com/godofwaronprime/status/2027397749357134177

According to the God of War Ragnarök subreddit, hidden cutscenes have been discovered in the game’s files that can’t be accessed through the course of play. The poster—TheMorse_—has noted that this is quite similar to yet another hidden cutscene from 2018’s God of War that essentially served as the opening to Ragnarök’s story.

One of these new cutscenes seems to revolve around “beings from the higher plane” having a conversation about Odin and Atreus. Among these beings is also Athena. Another one revolves around Atreus traveling to meet beings from other pantheons with someone named “Mau”, who has been described as being like Groot from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, as they can only say their own name. Much like Rocket Raccoon, Atreus is also seemingly able to understand “Mau”. It is worth noting that the name is the Egyptian word for cat, and has often been depicted as being one of the manifestations of Ra—the Sun God.

As for the cutscene featuring Athena, some interesting pieces of dialogue have been uncovered. Among other things, she says, “One failed us. One rejected us,” and “We have a problem”. While it is unclear who exactly Athena might be referring to, considering the events of God of War Ragnarök, the one who failed them was likely Odin, while the rejector was like Atreus.

While this might sound like little more than rumors revolving around cutscenes that were initially created but cancelled out as the game’s story went through changes, it is worth noting that, much like TheMorse_ pointed out, these have quite a few similarities to the hidden cutscenes found in 2018’s God of War. Those files revolved around Atreus killing the bear—as he does early in Ragnarök’s story—and sneaking out to see the shrines, culminating in his discovery that Tyr is alive.

Industry insider shinobi602 had previously indicated that this new God of War project is being helmed by Cory Barlog, and is slated for launch “around 2028”. The title will also seemingly be revealed in the middle of this year, with the insider predicting, “Probably May State of Play or the summer Keighley’s (SGF). As of now, I don’t know. If not by then, then they’ve either pushed the release out further or doing a shorter reveal to release.”

A report from back in September had strong indications of Kratos traveling to Egypt as part of the next game’s story. Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson had said that Kratos would be adding a curved Egyptian-styled sword to his arsenal, bringing up comparisons to Prince of Persia. In a more recent conversation, however, he said that “there is a scythe in the game as well.”

While you would think his follow-up statement is more damage control than anything, he would instead clarify, “I have zero involvement with the original games and what they involve. Full stop. As much as I would love that everything I do in the future to involve Sony Santa Monica and God of War, I have other projects that I am super excited about. More info this Summer.”

The first part addresses any information provided about the Trilogy Remake, such as the use of new technology and a new fighting system, while not going through a reboot. Furthermore, TC Carson is apparently reprising his role as Kratos, but Santa Monica Studio hasn’t officially confirmed this.

The other half is more interesting because it seemingly indicates, without outright saying, that his next projects won’t involve the studio or God of War. Of course, the fact that more information is due this Summer only lends further credence to the next game’s alleged reveal. Reportedly directed by Cory Barlog, it will be his first full directorial role since God of War (2018). He served as creative director and producer on Ragnarok with Eric Williams in the director’s chair.

Not much is known about the new God of War, but a report by Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson claims a potential return to Greece, where it all began. Furthermore, Kratos reportedly wields a scythe as a new weapon.

“No, well, it’s going to be TC,” said Judge when Fuhpuzy asked him if he would be returning for the remake. He also noted that the trilogy won’t be going through a reboot. Rather, it will use “new technology” and “more stuff”, as well as a “new fighting system”. When asked about when he would return to the role of Kratos, Judge said, “Then you’ll be hearing about what we’re doing probably late summer.”

Carson returning to play Kratos shouldn’t come as a surprise, since he was involved in the announcement of the remake earlier this month. He played the character in all God of War games before the 2018 release, including spin-off entries like the PSP games and 2013’s God of War: Ascension.

Reports of an unannounced God of War project being slated for reveal later this year came about shortly after the recent State of Play showcase. According to industry insider shinobi602, Cory Barlog is working on this new project as its director. While the announcement is reportedly happening soon, the game may launch next year.

“Like I said, given the quarter they’re targeting, I do expect that,” wrote shinobi602 when asked about when it would be unveiled. “Probably May State of Play or the summer Keighley’s (SGF). As of now, I don’t know yet. If not by then, then they’ve either pushed the release out further or doing a shorter reveal to release.”

Another report has indicated that Kratos might be adding a new weapon to his arsenal – the scythe. According to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, while previous rumors have indicated that Kratos will make use of an Egyptian-styled curved sword, “there is a scythe in the game as well.” He also spoke about hearing that, rather than tackling an Egyptian setting, the next God of War might actually involve a return to Greece.

“From what I understand, there is another mainline God of War game in development,” he said. “There’s a lot of speculation out there that it’s going to be an Egyptian God of War game… but I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to go back to Greek mythology, to be honest. And now I’m wondering, is that why they are doing the remake of the original trilogy?”

Sony Santa Monica, along with Mega Cat Studios, also dropped a surprise new God of War game last week, dubbed God of War Sons of Sparta. However, rather than being a traditional new entry, it is a 2D side-scrolling action platformer with elements of the Metroidvania genre. Along with this, the story also takes us back to the distant past, exploring younger versions of Kratos and his brother, Deimos. For more details, check out our review.

“It’s interesting. It’s always cool listening to all these rumblings and seeing what actually comes to fruition.” In another part of the podcast, Henderson also spoke about the setting for the next game. While a curved sword might hint at Ancient Egypt, Henderson has noted that the story may actually take Kratos back to Greece instead.

“From what I understand, there is another mainline God of War game in development,” he said. “There’s a lot of speculation out there that it’s going to be an Egyptian God of War game… but I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to go back to Greek mythology, to be honest. And now I’m wondering, is that why they are doing the remake of the original trilogy?”

Henderson is referring to Sony Santa Monica recently confirming that it was working on a full remake of the three mainline God of War games that were released across PS2 and PS3. While the studio hasn’t revealed any details about the remake, it is “very early in development,” and it will be “a while” before more information is shared. Original Kratos voice actor TC Carson made the announcement, which indicates that he might reprise the role rather than Christopher Judge of the Norse saga.

Shortly after the announcement, a rumor popped up that Sony might be getting ready to unveil yet another God of War game later this year. The title, according to industry insider shinobi602, is being directed by Cory Barlog, and is slated for launch “around 2028”. As for exactly when it will be announced, the insider said, “Probably May State of Play or the summer Keighley’s (SGF)… if not by then, then they’ve either pushed the release out further or doing a shorter reveal to release.”

Curiously, a rumor from back in July 2025 indicated that Sony Santa Monica was working on a brand new game that would be a reinvention of an old IP. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the reimagining is going to be thorough enough to make the project feel like an entirely new IP.

“Maybe that’s why people are confused. Please don’t ask me more questions about this – if I wind up reporting more information at any point in the future, it’ll be in an article, not on a forum,” he wrote.

In the meantime, Sony Santa Monica, along with Mega Cat Studios, recently released the side-scrolling platformer God of War Sons of Sparta, which takes the franchise’s story back to before even the first game, giving us young versions of Kratos and Deimos as the main protagonists. It is available on PS5, and for more details, you can check out our review.

As its title might imply, Sons of Sparta revolves around both Kratos and his lesser-known brother Deimos. Set during Kratos’ brutal Spartan training years, the setting unfolds long before the series’ main events. Kratos and Deimos are young soldiers in Sparta, and have only recently gotten the freedom to travel beyond the city-state’s walls on various missions.

Right off the bat, it’s important to talk about how visually distinct and brilliant Sons of Sparta looks. The title makes use of a pixel-art style that combines a lo-fi look with incredible detail, especially in its environments. Character sprites are equally strong and enemy silhouettes communicate threat at a glance. The audio is fantastic as well, with attacks sounding chunky, parries culminating in a satisfying sound effect, and the general background score doing a great job of setting the right tone for the setting.

"The sheer variety of boss encounters in Sons of Sparta is quite impressive."

The story starts off quite simple; Kratos and Deimos have been tasked with retrieving specific tools. However, the actual plot starts shortly after the two set out on this mission, when they learn that one of their fellow cadets hasn’t returned from a field exercise. While Kratos has considered this friend dead thanks to the general deadliness of the wider world, Deimos is more optimistic, and persuades his brother to help find him.

It’s difficult to convey the novelty of getting to see a young Kratos, since we’ve only ever seen the man either entirely consumed by rage, or quiet and somber. Here, however, we see a Kratos that has a sense of humor, as often showcased with the banter he often engages in with Deimos. It’s also interesting to see the level of duty he feels towards Sparta and its traditions, especially in light of how things would eventually turn out. The presence of Deimos and the brotherly love the two share is also wonderful dramatic irony.

Throughout the journey, you get to face several enemies based on different myths. Along with standard foes like armed skeletons and wild animals, we also get more interesting enemies, like Centaurs, Cyclopses, and birds. The latter tend to show up in the form of boss fights, with their very first appearance being a great example of what to expect from the future.

The sheer variety of boss encounters in Sons of Sparta is quite impressive, ranging from fights against particularly strong soldiers using their own unique weapons, to beasts. My personal favorite boss fight from my time with the game was one of the birds: Apate. While it used many of the same moves as its brethren, it also offered an added level of threat thanks to its use of aerial bombardment and poison.

"The skill tree tends to offer improvements to your base offensive and defensive abilities, along with some new ones that don’t feel entirely necessary."

Combat in Sons of Sparta starts off simple, then steadily grows in depth as you unlock new abilities either through your own skill tree or through new gear. Taking a cue from Ragnaork, your spear’s various parts can give you different abilities. While the tip of the spear largely focuses on offering passive bonuses, the handle offers changes to your main combo. The pommel, on the other hand, gives you active abilities, like a vertical slam, or a combination of powerful thrusts. These pair up quite nicely with the otherwise-standard system that largely has Kratos  attacking, dodging, blocking and parrying enemies.

While largely fine as a system, it never quite feels like it goes far enough in offering loot as a reward for exploration. Big, glowing chests will often only give you crafting materials, and new pieces of equipment that might offer fun abilities feel, unfortunately, far too rare. On the other hand, the main exploration centric progression system offers a fantastic excuse to explore every nook and cranny of the game’s large map since they give tangible boosts to your damage and defenses.

The skill tree tends to offer improvements to your base offensive and defensive abilities, along with some new ones that don’t feel entirely necessary. One, for example, allows you to pull off a downward spear slam, with further nodes on the tree making it more efficient in terms of Spirit requirements and the damage it deals. The enhancements to defensive abilities like dodging and parrying are more fun, since they give you new ways to counter-attack.

The combat is often a balancing act where you’re managing your Health, Spirit, and Magic. While the latter is largely used for the various tools you’ll find during your travels, your Health and Spirit have a fun tug of war going on with each other. Regular attacks on enemies give you more Spirit, which you can use up by holding R1 alongside your attacks to deal less health damage to your enemies but more stun damage. Spirit-enhanced attacks also have the added benefit of causing enemies to generate healing orbs. Stun an enemy and you can pull off a brutal instant kill that gives you plenty of Health, Spirit and Magic in the process.

"Sons of Sparta is a fantastic platformer, and a true breath of fresh air for the genre. The fact that it’s on the shorter side for the genre, coming in at around 10 hours, also helps."

The only real complaint I had with the combat and traversal in Sons of Sparta largely came down to its controls feeling awkward at first. Since fast-paced combat-centric side-scrollers are often best-played with the D-pad, the fact that Sons of Sparta only uses the analog stick for movement feels like a strange decision. Aside from that, having a special button for climbing a ladder also feels unnecessary, since many platformers let you climb simply by holding up or down. These are minor quibbles, and they largely disappeared once I got used to the control scheme.

Owing to its lo-fi look, Sons of Sparta is generally quite light on the PS5’s hardware. There were never any frame rate drops regardless of how many enemies or visual effects were happening on the screen. Load times were also snappy, which is a great thing since, on the higher difficulties, you might find yourself dying quite often on some bosses. Speaking of which, newcomers to the genre will also find the three distinct difficulty options tailored to your experience with platformers and sidescrollers to be quite welcoming.

Sons of Sparta is a fantastic platformer, and a true breath of fresh air for the genre. The fact that it’s on the shorter side for the genre, coming in at around 10 hours, also helps. There is a certain lightheartedness that comes with the story despite its brutal and violent combat. Both Kratos and Deimos’ conversations often go on for slightly too long, but it’s still quite fun to hear their banter every now and then. Combine that with excellent combat that peaks during its epic boss battles, and you’ve got a thrilling new way to take in this Spartan tale.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.