Santa Monica Explained Why Faye Is the Lead in the Next God of War Game
During PlayStation’s State of Play on June 2, Sony announced the next God of War game, confirming a big change that’s been rumored for a while. And while many might be annoyed that Kratos isn’t the main star, Santa Monica explained why Faye is the next lead.
Thanks to an interview with IGN, we get to explore more about the next installment, God of War: Laufey. Game director Ariel Lawrence and Santa Monica Studio creative director Cory Barlog explained their direction, saying, “We’ll always tell stories about Kratos, but I think for us, it was just a chance to talk about somebody who was so pivotal to the beginning and get to know them and push beyond into this new world and give us some place to be surprised and see how things connect.”
“So for us, it’s not a departure; it’s more of an expansion.”
Santa Monica Developers Explained Why Faye Is the Lead in God of War: Laufey
— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) June 3, 2026
In an interview with IGN, the developers explained that Faye has always been one of the most important characters in the Norse saga.
“We’ve talked about Faye for years,” said Cory Barlog.
“Kratos is… pic.twitter.com/rJYsrt2Mfi
According to Barlog, he knew back in 2018 that Faye was someone he wanted to explore more. “The character to usher us into this sort of new world is this character, who is such an anchor to the rebirth of where we were going into the franchise.”
But what does this mean for the playstyle? Kratos has a unique feel when playing him. He’s brutal, powerful, and determined. Lawrence added in her thoughts about what you’ll expect when playing this new character, saying, “Kratos is like a brick wall, and he’s a little stoic, but it’s just that his brutality is different.”
God of War Laufey embraces the franchise's brutal roots.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 2, 2026
See how the new title fits within the pantheon: https://t.co/VTg1O9VlOv pic.twitter.com/rL9IGsiT13
“How do we show somebody who’s his equal as she is? So when we looked, we got to think about all that [Santa Monica] games. The Greek era had an influence on Faye. The Norse era has an influence on Faye. So going to our more agile combat roots but also retaining our companions, our gritty closer combat.”
“How do those marry together and then make something that’s uniquely Faye-feeling while still being a Santa Monica game?”
Not only will the game embrace the franchise’s brutal roots, but it sounds like Faye’s combat will be designed for speed, agility, and fluid movements rather than sheer determined, brutal strength. This could be reminiscent of Atreus’ playstyle, as he’s often doing ground and aerial attacks alongside his father.
Even with the unique and interesting concept, many aren’t happy with the change. Passionate God of War fans believe that without Kratos, it’s not a proper God of War title. However, as the developers mentioned, it’s more of a spin-off, expansion, or side quest than anything.
God of War's creator says the new 'Laufey' title is “not God of War”
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) June 3, 2026
David Jaffe added “the originals, had their hooks, right? It was ‘Kratos is a badass,’ Greek mythology, violence, etc” pic.twitter.com/Y9wr9uACPJ
Unfortunately, some are still determined to express their distaste.
For those that are interested, we unfortunately don’t have a release window; however, many are assuming it should be sometime next year. Keep checking back here for more information.
