Sony's Santa Monica Studio brought gamers a mix of Greek and Norse mythology in 2018’s God of War, allowing players to travel to new realms that are important in Old Norse. But not all of the realms mentioned in the game are accessible, leaving room for their incorporation into God of War 5.
There were nine realms referenced in God of War but only six of them were available to travel to – Midgard, Alfheim, Helheim, Jotunheim, Muspelheim, and Nilfheim. The first four become unlocked as the story progresses, but the final two can only be accessed if the player collects the adequate number of travel runes. The other three realms - Asgard, Vanaheim, and Svartalfheim – are not available in the game, even though they’re heavily referenced throughout.
It may be disappointing for some fans to realize these realms aren’t available, despite being featured and talked about in the game. But this is likely meant to foreshadow where future installments of the God of War franchise will go. Just like 2018’s God of War only allowed Kratos to come head-to-head with some of the minor Norse Gods, as opposed to Thor, for example, it’s a sign that Santa Monica Studios is trying to build up anticipating for bigger and better things in the future. As future installments will likely continue to explore the Norse mythology, there’s good reason to expect Asgard, Vanaheim, and Svartalfheim will also be accessible in the next sequel.
When Will God Of War 5 Release?
It took five years to make 2018’s God of War, so fans of the franchise should expect a sequel to take a similar amount of time to complete. If this is the case, then players could be waiting until 2023 until the next sequel releases. Santa Monica hasn’t confirmed anything about the sequel, including when it should hit the market. But several hints seem to imply the game is underway.
Santa Monica Studios' Executive Cory Barlog, who worked as the game director for 2018’s God of War, appeared to hint at a sequel this past March. Barlog made headlines for responding to a series of tweets originally shared by IGN, Inverse reports. “Though none of these PlayStation sequels have been confirmed, which would you like to see come to PS5?” one tweet read whereas another mentioned highly anticipated games like Uncharted 5 and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Of course, God of War 5 was also included in the list. “ALL PLEASE,” Barlog responded in all capital letters followed by a heart emoji. Prior to that, in April 2018, Barlog told Kotaku that he had enough ideas for five more God of War games, though he later told fans via Twitter that they shouldn’t take this as official confirmation of anything.
These aren’t the only hints that seem to imply God of War 5 is on its way, however, as Santa Monica has been posting job listings seemingly related to the production of the sequel. On June 14th, Santa Monica made a listing looking for a “Senior Combat Designer.” The post specifically mentioned that applicants should have “knowledge of God of War (2018) and be able to speak in-depth about the combat system, mechanics, and enemies,” Inverse adds. Whenever God of War 5 releases, players can surely expect a variety of new realms to explore and discover, adding to the anticipation of the franchise’s next release.
Source: Inverse