Cory Barlog will not be returning to direct God of War Ragnarök following the success of the last game - instead he's helming other, unannounced projects. Longtime God of War developer Eric Williams will be taking over directorial duties on God of War Ragnarok, carrying on the long-standing tradition of each game in the series getting a new director.
During the PlayStation Showcase 2021, Sony finally revealed God of War Ragnarok gameplay. In addition to confirming the game's subtitle, the trailer gave a substantial look at the next God of War's story, giving a strong sense of its plot and themes. Not only will the likes of Thor and Odin apparently play a large role in Ragnarok, but Atreus will be older and eager to deal with the impending apocalypse he's destined to cause. The table is set for a very compelling game already, and new director Eric Williams's vision is guiding it this time around.
Santa Monic Studio's Eric Williams has worked on every single God of War game as a game designer and will be helming Ragnarok as its director. God of War 2 and God of War (2018) director Cory Barlog revealed during a PlayStation Showcase 2021 post-show that he's currently working on other mystery projects that he can't yet discuss. Barlog was one of the driving forces behind the soft reboot of the series, as he led Santa Monica Studio in taking God of War into Norse mythology and implementing the father-son relationship of Kratos and Atreus as a core theme. Because of how much of the sequel's plot was set up previously, it's probably safe to say Williams, his writing team, and Barlog hashed out the story together, but it seems Barlog has served in a more general role during God of War Ragnarok's production.
At press time, there's no indication as to what Cory Barlog's unrevealed projects may be. Nearly a decade ago, Destructoid reported Santa Monica Studio had been working on an open-world sci-fi game that was canceled, leaving the possibilities of what could be next seemingly wide open. It's possible something completely different is being planned, either in the vein of a new IP or something else in PlayStation Studio's large games catalog. God of War Ragnarok's apocalyptic story sounds sweeping in scale, so whatever Sony Santa Monica is doing next will have big shoes to fill.
In 2012, Barlog left Sony Santa Monica to work on the Tomb Raider reboot, but he returned to Sony the following year to work on on God of War's own revival. Barlog is the only repeat game director in the God of War franchise following his stint on the original sequel, but he is credited as playing a big role in the series' creation and identity. While Eric Williams has taken up the director's chair for God of War Ragnarok, Barlog retains his position as Santa Monica Studio's creative director.
God of War Ragnarök will release in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.
Source: PlayStation/YouTube, Destructoid