Sony Santa Monica creative director Cory Barlog discussed God of War in an interview after Sony's E3 press conference, saying not only that it was set after God of War 3, but that it was not open world.
"It's open, but it's not an open world" he said after the show, also saying that quick time events have been tweaked to provide a different experience for the player. Barlog said this will let players "get up close to the action" and is part of the overhauled gameplay which was rebuilt entirely.
After months of rumours, God of War was shown off properly for the first time during Sony's E3 presser. You can see the gameplay reveal below.