Following the recent announcement of its upcoming release, PlayStation and Santa Monica Studios have released ‘Raising Kratos’; a full-length feature documentary chronicling the development of 2018’s God of War. The God of War documentary is available for free on PlayStation’s official YouTube channel; a two-hour record of the hurdles faced by the Santa Monica Studios team throughout the game’s long development.
Raising Kratos: The New Full-Length God of War Documentary
When the documentary was announced several weeks ago, it was unclear what “full-length” meant. However, we do now know that it means a full two-hour program charting the development of God of War from its earliest days to release. The God of War documentary doesn’t shy away from covering the obstacles faced by Santa Monica Studios, such as the cancellation of their new IP and the subsequent layoffs that hit the studio.
God of War certainly had its fair share of hurdles during its long development. The challenge of reinventing God of War from its early days of bloodthirsty combat to an emotional narrative certainly wasn’t easy. Director Cory Barlog discusses the opposition he faced towards this reboot, and especially to the inclusion of Atreus; many developers were unconvinced by the idea, even after months or years of development.
Of course, the hard work that went into God of War was certainly vindicated; God of War was one of 2018’s most successful game releases, and recipient of over 190 different Game of the Year awards! Indeed, the documentary briefly covers the studio’s acceptance of the Game of the Year award at last year’s Game Awards. Although the plans for DLC for the game are no more, the studio is doubtless focusing on development the next game in the series. For now, fans will have to wait and see for more news from Santa Monica Studios.