Santa Monica Studio’s acclaimed 2018 God of War reboot almost launched in a far less polished state, until an internal review prompted a pivotal delay that ultimately transformed the game’s fate.
Six months ahead of God of War’s originally planned 2017 launch, Shuhei Yoshida, then a top PlayStation executive, visited Santa Monica Studio to playtest the highly anticipated title. The game, already revealed to considerable excitement, was roughly 80% complete at the time of Yoshida’s visit. During his session, Creative Director Cory Barlog presented a section of the game for Yoshida to play. However, Yoshida soon encountered notable gameplay problems, including enemies attacking from positions off-screen, which left him feeling “cheated.” He also observed frame rate issues and several key features not functioning as intended.
Reflecting on the playtest, Yoshida described himself as “horrified,” clarifying in a recent interview that he did not call the game “horrible.” He noted the mounting expectations from both the company and its fans and felt concerned about the game’s readiness. Although he found it difficult to directly voice his concerns to Barlog, his reaction was apparent through his facial expressions.
After the playtest, Yoshida addressed his concerns privately with executive producer Shannon Studstill. “We have a problem,” he told her, expressing the urgent need for more development time. Following this feedback, the decision was made to delay God of War’s release from October 2017 to April 2018, providing the team with an additional six months to refine and polish the game.
This extra development period proved to be transformative. Upon its release in April 2018, God of War was met with widespread critical and commercial success. The game was heralded as a modern masterpiece, achieving a 94 score on both Metacritic and Open Critic, and is widely considered one of the most impressive reboots in gaming history.
The success of the 2018 reboot paved the way for a sequel, God of War Ragnarok, which launched in 2022. Ragnarok was regarded by many as a step above its predecessor and received similar critical acclaim. Although Santa Monica Studio has yet to announce another new installment in the franchise, they continue to support God of War with periodic patches and updates that bring fresh content to players.
Speculation continues around the possibility of a remaster for the God of War Greek Saga, but Sony has not confirmed any such project. The series’ history began with earlier titles set in Greek mythology, but the 2018 reboot revitalized the franchise with a new gameplay approach, a fresh story direction, and significant technical advancements, solidifying God of War’s legacy in the gaming world.
