The God Of War series has been one of the greatest in video games since its initial title release back in 2005. Since then there have been 5 mainline games with a handful of spin offs to add to the tally. To say it has been important is an understatement as it has become one of Sony’s biggest draws in recent years. In 2018 the series continued on from its initial Greek beginnings and led us to the land of Norse mythology. This also started a new arc for the character of Kratos, one of maturity and self improvement rather than the previous titles edgy natured storytelling. Its safe to say that the games and their creators have grown with their audience as many mention having become parents themselves. But one important person in God Of Wars creation seems to be bitter about where the story has progressed, that being series co-creator David Jaffe.
In recent YouTube video Jaffe was asked on how he feels about the series direction since his departure back in and he began to go off on a very emotional tangent. He stated his dislike for the direction that both the character of Kratos and the series went through, stating that what the studio was doing was akin to Steven Spielberg’s work with Indiana Jones, In the sense that all of the sudden the character reflected what its creator felt, a stronger sense of family and morals. Jaffe hated the idea of involving personal feelings with the God Of War Story and many have begun to call out his immaturity towards the subject.
Don’t take the character Kratos, or Indiana Jones and go ‘You know what, I’m Steven Spielberg, I’m older now and I’m really into family, and I wanna tell stories about fathers and sons’. No, f**k you. – David Jaffe via Youtube
The newer entries in the series are regarded as very profound deep dives into fatherhood and coming to terms with one’s past, and to many it’s been heartbreaking to see a pivotal person in the creation of the series badmouthing it.
I don’t want these characters to grow. I don’t give a f**k what you’re going through at the studio – David Jaffe via Youtube
Comments from Jaffe come at a very ironic time as God Of War Ragnarok recently released their new free DLC titled Valhalla in which Kratos does a further deep dive into his past traumas to come to terms with them. Sometimes some people truly don’t change. These comments began to go viral shortly after and even Cory Barlog, current Santa Monica Creative Director, and other major players in God Of War’s creation and expansion saw and responded to these comments on Twitter with a simple GIF.