First look at God of War Laufey

We’re thrilled to finally share what the team at Santa Monica Studio has been working on, the next mainline entry to the God of War series: God of War Laufey!

Wishlist God of War Laufey here!

God of War Laufey

Death was supposed to be the end, but for Laufey (Faye), warrior and wife to Kratos, a new adventure is just beginning. Awakening unexpectedly in a strange land after her funeral, Faye discovers the plans she put in place to protect Kratos and Atreus are now at risk.

To save the ones she loves, Faye must fight through the afterlife of the gods — the Everywhen — where ruthless gods from across mythology vie for power in a land overflowing with dangerous magic.

God of War’s next chapter

Intimate, brutal combat.

Exploration of a rich, beautiful world.

Story at its heart.

Right from the start, we knew Laufey needed to contain all the core elements that define a God of War game.

Faye has always been a formidable warrior in our story. She and Kratos can both hit hard and take hits, so one of our top priorities throughout the development has been handcrafting a uniquely fresh feel for Faye’s gameplay that will also meet the high expectations fans have for the series.

Combining the movement and fluidity of the Greek era with the Norse era’s approach to world-building and close ties with characters — we’ve crafted an experience that has given our team incredible opportunities to take exciting creative swings, while staying true to the pillars of the God of War series.

Interview with Game Director Ariel Lawrence

Santa Monica Studio’s Head of Creative Cory Barlog and God of War Laufey’s Game Director Ariel Lawrence sat down for an extended interview speaking about the reveal, how the idea of a Faye game first came to be, and the long-term creative vision for the franchise.

Watch the full interview with Ariel and Cory below!

Introducing Faye

Faye has long been one of the impactful characters in God of War’s Norse saga. A legendary warrior and leader — her impact was left on the Nine Realms long before she ever met Kratos.

God of War Laufey brings Faye to the forefront — exploring the humanity, strengths, and flaws of the person whose legacy was beloved in the minds of many.

To set the stage for Faye’s introduction, God of War Laufey’s Narrative Director and Lead Writer discuss what we know about her going into this journey and give a taste of what awaits her in the afterlife of the gods.

Afterlife of the Gods

Odin was haunted by the prophecy of his demise during the events of Ragnarök, obsessively pursuing knowledge of something beyond the afterlives of mortals.

In God of War Laufey, we explore the answer to that question: What happens to the gods when they die?

The Everywhen is the birthplace and endpoint to which all magic returns, a transcendent realm above those we’ve come to know. A location in which gods and creatures from different mythologies come together, and not always in harmonious coexistence.

We’ve shown a brief look at two of the gods Faye will encounter in the Everywhen — Sekhmet and Begtse, both decidedly less than friendly towards a new face suddenly appearing in their midst.

Faye quickly discovers that despite the impossibility of awakening from death in a place that defies everything she thought she knew, it may prove even harder to leave while the natural flow of magic has been disrupted.

Paradise or prison — Faye will need to uncover hidden mysteries about the true nature of the Everywhen throughout her journey if she is to have any hope of finding her way home.

Adventuring party

Reprising her role as Faye after appearing in God of War Ragnarök, we’re thrilled to have the fantastic Deborah Ann Woll lead the cast of God of War Laufey.

Faye will not be venturing into the Everywhen alone, as she meets two companions shortly after she first wakes up.

Phranque, played by Jack Quaid, is a curious cosmic cube with an earnest disposition. He will do whatever it takes to protect his friends and the creatures of the Everywhen.

Rue, played by Perlina Lau, is the enchanted ribbon guardian tasked with keeping the devastatingly powerful sword in her care from falling into the wrong hands.

Together they will embark on a journey deep into the Everywhen that will pit them against a fantastic cast of gods and creatures from across mythology, as well as beings native to the Everywhen itself.

Lethal agility

As the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, Faye has deep roots as a warrior and has proven equal to even the likes of Thor, one of the strongest gods in the Nine Realms.

From the beginning, we’ve built her combat to maximize lethality, power, and fluidity.

Building upon the strengths of the modern God of War combat system while injecting some old school, classic DNA of the Greek era — Laufey will feel fresh, yet familiar to fans of the series.

By allowing Faye to move easily between ground and air without halting the action, we’ve refined a hyper-responsiveness to her combat that we can’t wait for players to experience when they get their hands on the controller for the first time.

Her increased mobility adds a ton of offensive and defensive tools to turn battles against even the fiercest gods to her favor.

We’ve given you a taste of what Faye’s gameplay will look like at the start, and that’s just scratching the surface. There’s so much more we can’t wait to share further down the road — and plenty we’ll leave for fans to discover on their own!

Legendary sword for a legendary warrior

As the previous owner of the Leviathan Axe, Faye is no stranger to legendary weapons. Upon her arrival in the Everywhen, she earns the trust of the sword’s guardian Rue enough to use the blade in their fight to escape imprisonment.

Wielded in Faye’s expert hand, its full potential is unleashed.

Speed, control, and relentlessness define the tempo of Faye’s combat. Building and maintaining momentum from one attack to the next, across the ground or into the sky, she creates a relentless onslaught against her foes.

Golden Hand of the Jötnar

The Giants of Jötunheim had access to powerful magic, so much so that even Odin viewed them as one of the greatest threats to his rule over the Nine Realms.

As the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, the most powerful protector of the Giants — Faye wielded fearsome powers, including the ability to manipulate souls.

After arriving in the afterlife of the gods, a place steeped in the oldest of magic, Faye’s own soul related abilities are greatly amplified.

In the Everywhen, Faye can strike her golden palm at a foe with such force it detaches their soul from their body. From there, Faye can attack the soul directly, knock it into other enemies, and more — opening up combos and creative uses that we hope players will have a lot of fun mastering.

Back for more!

As we get closer to release, we’ll be back to share more details about the afterlife of the gods.

On behalf of everyone at Santa Monica Studio and all our partners working on God of War Laufey, thank you so much for watching the announcement video. We appreciate all the support fans have shown this series over the last two decades and hope you enjoy what we’ve got coming next!