It's clear to everyone that in recent years the design template for major games seems to follow a very specific and similar pattern, regardless of the company behind them. This has led not only to a sense of "apathy" among players regarding future releases, but also to the market becoming oversaturated with games sharing the same aesthetic, theme or gameplay. And that works to the detriment of everything else.
However, every now and then there are 'bold' studios and developments that not only change the course of a specific franchise but also breathe new life into the entire spectrum of the genre. This is what happened with God of War in 2018, and someone who saw this clearly was veteran Andrea Pessino.
Pessino, who was a producer on The Order 1886 and who also knows the God of War franchise well having worked on its two PSP titles, was "delighted" with the new direction given to Kratos in 2018 by Santa Monica Studio, as he told us during our meeting at Comicon Napoli 26, which you can watch with subtitles below.
After discussing The Order 1886 and its critical reception, the conversation turned precisely to that line-up of major releases, until the surprise of God of War (2018) arrived. "I loved it. God of War 2018 was one of my all-time favourite games."
After reviewing your work with the franchise in its earlier phase, Pessino commented that "it was a huge risk."
"One thing I know is that, as many of the same people from the originals were involved in our games, and the same people who also worked on those, it was a very difficult development.
Many games tend to be like that, so they struggled a lot to find a unique voice. I thought it was daring, and probably necessary.
"Everything has its cycle, everything has its lifespan, and the original idea, the original expression of God of War had probably reached that point. After more than a decade of titles, the time had come to try something different, something new, and they certainly succeeded, and I think they're going to continue taking that series in new directions. They're going to be spectacular, I'm sure."