Santa Monica Announces God of War: Laufey Prequel for PS5

Santa Monica Studio has officially revealed the long-rumored Faye-centric parallel story for the God of War series on PS5, following an extended period of leaks and unintended hints. Titled God of War: Laufey, the title received its debut during Sony’s summer State of Play event, sharing the stage with projects such as Insomniac’s Wolverine.

State of Play closed with 20 minutes of Laufey footage. The presentation depicted sword-wielding Faye traversing richly detailed, atmospheric ruins while dispatching foes with fluid grace using her blade. In one sequence she is seized by two powerful adversaries whose armor causes her weapon to fracture upon impact.

It becomes evident that her abductors are malevolent, given their cruel treatment of the realm’s creatures. They escort her before a red-skinned demon lord and a blue-skinned woman who extracts a splinter from Faye’s palm. The pair warn they will execute her, yet a distant light diverts their attention.

Faye encounters a gelatinous cube during the shown sequence. By the clip’s conclusion she shares a cordial conversation with the gelatinous cube, hinting that classic D&D monsters could appear in the title as well.

Faye has shaped the God of War narrative with limited screen time. When God of War (2018) begins, Faye has already died, with the title offering no details on the circumstances. Prior to her passing she arranged events so that Kratos and their son Atreus would carry her ashes across the Nine Realms.

She later surfaced in flashback sequences within 2022’s God of War: Ragnarok. Despite exerting such a deep influence over the overall plot, the character receives strikingly little direct presence; this prequel therefore grants her more than the role of a spectral influence on events.

Additional God of War projects are in development. A PS5 remake of the original God of War trilogy is also in the works, as is a live-action Amazon show based on the more recent games. Even if the story’s not moving forward just yet, God of War fans are going to have plenty to keep them busy for the foreseeable future.