Ranking Every PlayStation Developer From Worst To Best
3. Santa Monica Studio
Notable Games: God of War 1-3, God Of War (2018)
In Development: next God Of War...of course
No doubt, this has really been the year for this particular studio, as they dropped the long-gestating God Of War re-jig to unanimous praise, break-neck sales and a flood of awards.
Their origins are much more low-key though, with them focused on providing support to other companies working on Sony exclusives. Over the years, they helped strong developers like thatgamecompany and Ready At Dawn, get their first footings in the industry.
When given the opportunity to create their own I.P, they emerged with the PS2's God Of War; a bloody, vulgar and endlessly fun hack-n-slash title that reinvented the action/adventure genre. It was even bettered with a sequel that deepened the mechanics and story - while giving the PS2 an epic swan song.
While God Of War 3 was a peak PS3 title, Kratos and his endless rage quest felt juvenile and soon wore out its welcome. Hence, the recent retooling of the franchise as a thoughtful and mature action game. It was a move that felt on-point and rejuvenated this studio's standing within Sony.
Sure, the developer is basically the Kratos company - but that’s a title worthy of high-praise at the moment.