‘God of War Laufey’: Developers Discuss Faye as the New Central Character

PlayStation’s State of Play on June 2 revealed an exciting surprise for ‘God of War’ fans. The upcoming mainline entry, ‘God of War Laufey’, will shift the focus from Kratos to his wife, Faye, also known as Laufey, who takes on the lead role for the first time in the series.

Developed for PlayStation 5 by Santa Monica Studio, this announcement marks a significant change for the long-standing franchise. For the first time, Kratos will not be the central character; instead, the narrative centers around Faye and her journey through a mysterious afterlife realm called Everywhen, a space believed to connect gods from various mythologies.

According to the story setup shared at the event, Faye arrives in Everywhen following her funeral, which was briefly depicted in ‘God of War’ (2018). In this new realm, she finds herself embroiled in conflicts with powerful gods of war while uncovering the unexpected consequences of her past choices and secret efforts to protect Kratos and Atreus.

In an interview with IGN, Santa Monica Studio’s creative director Cory Barlog and game director Ariel Lawrence discussed why Faye is the focus of this new game. Barlog emphasized that the goal was not to replace Kratos but to expand the universe surrounding him. He stated, “We’ll always tell stories about Kratos, but I think for us, it was just a chance to talk about somebody who was so pivotal to the beginning and get to know them and push beyond into this new world and give us some place to be surprised and see how things connect. So for us, it’s not a departure; it’s more of an expansion.”

Barlog also revealed that Faye had been on the team’s mind for years. Even in the 2018 reboot, she was a significant emotional presence in the story, despite her limited screen time. He remarked, “The character to usher us into this sort of new world is this character, who is such an anchor to the rebirth of where we were going with the franchise.”

He further explained that Faye was always portrayed as a powerful force in the background of Kratos and Atreus’ journey. “She was omnipresent but visually not represented. In 2018 she was a feeling; she was a phantom and a specter but one whose tendrils stretched out through the entirety of the narrative,” Barlog noted. The team became curious about what her life and strength looked like before the events players are familiar with.

In terms of gameplay, Faye is designed to feel distinct from Kratos while still fitting within the same universe. Ariel Lawrence explained that the challenge was to depict a character who matches Kratos in strength but expresses it differently. She said, “Kratos is like a brick wall, and he’s a little stoic, but it’s just that his brutality is different. How do we show somebody who’s his equal as she is?”

She added that the combat style will draw from earlier ‘God of War’ design ideas while introducing faster and more flexible movement. The aim is to create a fighting style grounded in the series but clearly shaped by Faye’s identity rather than Kratos’ rage-driven approach.

While ‘God of War Laufey’ does not yet have a release date, it is already being recognized as one of the most unusual shifts in the franchise’s history, placing a long-hidden character at the forefront of a story that has traditionally revolved around Kratos.

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