How Sony Almost Killed God Of War

You'd like to think that the almighty God of War 2018 was conceptualised under a moonlit sky, given animation and a physics engine by some unseen angelic force, only to strut fully-formed out the door and into our arms. But that was not even remotely the case.

That reaction from Creative Director Corey Barlog when he finally looked upon critics' scores and realised he'd made one of the best games of all time? It came from five years of struggle and hard work; of pitching a "radical reimagining" of one of gaming's most recognisable heroes... and suffering everything from complete overhauls to straight-up insulting feedback in return.

To dissect just how much of an achievement God of War is - and why it should be genuinely treasured - you need to know the inner workings of its production, just as much as the satisfying slam of splitting a Draugr's skull in two with a well-placed axe swing.

First up, the original pitch: Kratos goes to Egypt.

Revealed in an official capacity at Devcom 2018, Barlog highlighted a number of earlier concept art pieces where Ancient Egypt was the setting. Interestingly, this was doubled by a handful of leaks and rumours, though until now, they'd never bore meaningful fruit.

Cont'd...