God of War Ragnarok fans wonder if rumored game might be a “half-sequel”

Recent talks about the benefits of standalone expansions has some fans wondering if the rumored God of War game will be a “half-sequel.”

Sony’s first-party studios began dabbling with standalone expansions during the PS3 era, with InFamous 2’s Festival of Blood content requiring no ownership of the main game.

Since then, InFamous: First Light, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales have followed suit. Such releases have proven a boon for publishers and players, especially since AAA titles are now taking longer and costing more to produce.

With discourse about the benefits of these so-called “half-sequels” picking up steam, some people wonder if Santa Monica Studio’s rumored God of War project might chart a similar course.

More rumors point to a new God of War game

GoW Ragnarok-centric rumors began cropping up earlier this year after Tyr actor Ben Prendergast claimed players hadn’t seen the last of the Norse God of War. Job openings for the Combat Designer role at Santa Monica Studio later lent further credence to rumors about another installment.

Now leaker ViewerAnon – who usually outs movie news – has added more fuel to the fire. In response to an IGN post about the brilliance of half-sequels, the insider wrote, “Santa Monica Studio’s working on new GOD OF WAR stuff and I wonder whether it will be RAGNAROK DLC or a half-sequel.”

IGN's bang-on here – this is how you cut the gap between releases while also maybe letting greener teams work on the half-sequel with established tools and support. Santa Monica Studio's working on new GOD OF WAR stuff and I wonder whether it will be RAGNAROK DLC or a half-sequel https://t.co/MxXUyNUvKT

— ViewerAnon (@ViewerAnon) October 5, 2023

God of War fans seem high on the idea of a standalone expansion-like game. One user responded to the above post saying, “I still think it will be a half sequel (Miles Morales style) about Atreus. Honestly makes a ton of sense.”

Long before the tease from Tyr’s actor, Game Director Eric Williams told fans not to count on the studio developing DLC. Either way, there’s now plenty to suggest the God of War story hasn’t reached its end.

If a new project is in the works, this could mean that at least two titles are in development at Santa Monica Studio. Notably, God of War (2018) Director Cory Barlog is allegedly working on a sci-fi game, with the developer previously telling the LA Times the company was “spread out on a lot of different things.”