Last year, the God of War series turned 20. Kratos has been slaughtering his way through ancient monsters of myth and entire pantheons of gods for over two decades now, and the fact that there are nine mainline entries and spin-offs, plus a TV adaptation in the works, is proof that gamers can’t get enough of him. He’s one of the most celebrated video game characters of the modern era, popular enough to have guest appearances in both the Soulcalibur and Mortal Kombat franchises, and after the immense success of the original Greek trilogy, his rewritten characterization in the Norse era added more depth and nuance to a complex antihero.
Now, for the first time in the series’ long run, a God of War title will be led by someone other than Kratos. The upcoming spin-off God of War: Laufey focuses on his second wife, Laufey, aka Faye, the frost giant warrior who waged war against Odin and the Aesir gods to protect her people. Despite a first look at PlayStation’s State of Play event that teased familiar gameplay with exciting new hooks, the game’s announcement was met with a fair bit of controversy over what more than a few people saw as attempts to replace Kratos — although the recent announcement at San Diego Comic-Con of a new Kratos-centered game exposes just how absurd the entire situation was.
