"Kratos is the God of War," says series developer after the Laufey reveal - and we'll get more games starring him in the future

Following the reveal of God of War Laufey, series developer Sony Santa Monica has had to clarify, on multiple occasions, that longtime protagonist Kratos remains the eponymous God of War, and more games starring Kratos are in indeed the works.

The initial clarification actually arrived preemptively. The studio, seemingly aware that some people will be surprised that the next mainline God of War game won't star Kratos in his usual prominent role, addressed the issue in an internally-produced interview.

The interview, which went live shortly after Laufey's reveal, has God of War 2018 (and God of War 2) director Cory Barlog chatting with the upcoming game's director, Ariel Lawrence, about a number of topics.

Barlog, who now heads up creative at the studio, brings up the issue of a new protagonist fairly early on. "Faye, while it's a different thing, it's still part of the larger tapestry of what we truly want to explore - all of these different characters in there," he explained. "But there's always going to be Kratos games throughout the whole history. We're super excited about that."

Lawrence agreed: "Oh for sure, we can't not tell stories about the big guy."

This intention to make more games about Kratos was later reiterated by Sony Santa Monica's X account following the God of War Laufey reveal and reaction. "Kratos is the God of War," Sony Santa Monica wrote, "we have many more stories to tell with him. For now, we're excited to take fans on a journey into the afterlife of the gods with Faye and hope you’ll come along for the ride!"

The debut trailer for God of War Laufey revealed the eponymous Jotnar as its main protagonist. Laufey, also often referred to as Faye, is Kratos' wife in the 2018 reboot and its sequel.

While Faye has appeared in Ragnarok, she was mostly confined to flashbacks. Indeed, Kratos himself does make an appearance in the new game's reveal trailer, seemingly only as an illusion that helps Faye.

Though Laufey's combat might look faster, more fluid and action-focused than its prequels, it does retain much of what players loved about the weight and impact of animations in those games. If anything, Santa Monica intentionally wanted the game's combat to be reminiscent of the classic saga.

Thoughts are mixed on the gelatinous cube companion, though, if a little more open minded about the unusual setting for the game and its lore implications for the wider universe. There are also plenty of comments from fans genuinely surprised to see a God of War game not be led by Kratos.

As we've seen when Ciri was revealed as The Witcher 4's protagonist, there's always going to be pushback when a beloved lead of a major franchise is replaced. In time, the dust will settle, and everyone will get used to Faye leading the new game. We'll be waiting a while, though, as God of War Laufey does not yet have a release date