Cory Barlog, the director of 2018's God of War, humorously responded to a mobile game that rips-off the box art of said game and Guerrilla Games' Horizon Zero Dawn. Working as a lead animator on 2005's God of War and directing its 2007 sequel, Barlog returned to the mythological action-adventure franchise to create its newest Norse-inspired installment. While originally released as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, God of War is coming to PC ahead of the release of its highly anticipated sequel God of War Ragnarok.
The God of War franchise is a longtime PlayStation console exclusive, with the franchise's newest iteration regarded as one of the PlayStation 4's finest titles. The 2018 action-adventure game sees series protagonist Kratos transported to the realm of Norse mythology, and pairs him with a young son named Atreus. The emotional journey, strongly inspired by Cory Barlog's own experiences as a father, is considered by some to be one of the most effective video game narratives in recent memory. Soon, an entirely new audience of gamers will be able to experience God of War, as the adventure will be made available on PC on January 14, 2022. Many fans are specifically looking forward to God of War's inevitable PC mods, which are sure to add ill-fitting new features like lightsabers and Super Mario skins.
A mobile game called Chief Almighty clearly recycled artwork from God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn, and Cory Barlog recently poked fun at the title on Twitter. When a fellow user asked Barlog whether they should purchase God of War during a Cyber Monday sale, the game director instead jokingly recommended they purchase Chief Almighty. The game's art clearly rips off the cover of 2018's God of War, with an axe-wielding, tattooed warrior and a child companion posing on a small wooden boat. Afterwards, Guerrilla Games communications lead Bo Marit posted another piece of art from the mobile game, which clearly borrows elements from Horizon Zero Dawn's cover art. A female warrior rides a wolf and fires an arrow at a dinosaur, mirroring protagonist Aloy's struggle against a mechanic Thunderjaw on the sci-fi title's cover. In response to the blatant copy-and-paste, Cory Barlog enthusiastically replied, "This is sooooooooo good!!!" with some accompanying emojis.
While he directed two of the franchise's most popular installments, both 2007's God of War II and 2018's God of War, Cory Barlog will not return to direct the upcoming God of War Ragnarok. The highly-anticipated follow-up, which promises to detail the end of the Norse world, will instead be directed by series veteran Eric Williams. The game designer has had a hand in every previous installment in the series, but Williams will step into the director's chair for the first time with Ragnarok. With God of War Ragnarok ending the Norse saga, time will tell whether future installments take Kratos and Atreus to new mythological settings.
Along with working as the director of a widely beloved video game epic, Cory Barlog is also well-known for cracking jokes on social media. These various pieces of promotional art for Chief Almighty are perfect opportunities for some humor, seeing as it clearly borrows from the cover art of iconic games such as God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn. While many developers may be frustrated or angry at this rip-off, Barlog and Marit instead uses the opportunity to laugh together at the mobile title's expense.
Sources: Cory Barlog/Twitter, Bo Marit/Twitter