Kratos will remain central to the God of War franchise, Santa Monica Studio has confirmed, even as the studio prepares to launch God of War Laufey with Faye as its lead protagonist.
In an interview posted to PlayStation’s channel, studio head of creative Cory Barlog made clear that Kratos is not stepping aside permanently. “There’s always going to be Kratos games,” he stated. The studio’s official social media account reinforced that stance, noting that the team had “many more stories to tell with him.”
God of War Laufey drew a divided response after its unveiling. Some players welcomed the combat and visual presentation, while others took issue with the straightforward gameplay shown in the opening segment. The absence of Kratos as the main focus also drew predictable pushback from longtime fans. For background on Faye’s role in the series, our explainer covers her story in detail.
“Faye is, while it’s a different thing, it’s still part of the larger tapestry of what we truly really want to explore, all of these different characters in there,” Barlog said of the new game. “But there’s always going to be Kratos games, like, throughout the whole history. We’re super excited about that.”
“Oh for sure,” added God of War Laufey director Ariel Lawrence. “We can’t not tell stories about the big guy.”
The 20-minute gameplay segment that closed this week’s PlayStation State of Play June 2026 showcase opened with a familiar scene: Kratos and Atreus burning Faye’s body, reprising the moment from 2018’s God of War. Kratos appears again shortly afterward, helping Faye during a brief imprisonment. Whether he shows up beyond these moments is still unknown. He may be occupied with the events of God of War Ragnarök during the rest of Laufey’s narrative.
Santa Monica Studio’s official X/Twitter account posted last night: “Kratos is the God of War – we have many more stories to tell with him. For now, we’re excited to take fans on a journey into the afterlife of the gods with Faye and hope you’ll come along for the ride!”
That announcement arrived as the studio also revealed a remake of the God of War Greek trilogy, which naturally returns Kratos to center stage. The original God of War debuted on PS2 in 2005, followed by its sequel in 2007. God of War 3 launched for PS3 in 2010. The trilogy remake has no release date yet, and development remains in “early stages.”
The Wolverine gameplay reveal also generated significant attention during the same showcase, giving PlayStation two major announcements to drive discussion heading into the summer.
