The latest God of War title represents a significant departure from the original set of games. Gone are Kratos’ iconic Blades of Chaos, and so too the entire pantheon of Gods and Titans that fought against and manipulated the Spartan. Instead, Kratos finds himself knee deep in Norse mythology, while once again taking on the role as Father, this time to the boy Atreus. With such a dramatic departure from the older games, it certainly begs the question, “Why?”

Apparently the reason for such a massive shift in focus was because Sony was no longer interested in creating another God of War, which meant that the team had to go back to the drawing board, so to speak, in order to make another Kratos-fest easier to stomach. This is when God of War creative director Cory Barlog was brought in, in order to “break the rules” and get our favorite Spartan another chance to shine.

In a recent interview, both Santa Monica Studio Head Shannon Studstill and God of War creative director Cory Barlog sat down to discuss the franchise, as well as the “Why” behind the new direction the latest God of War game is taking. “I think you need to know the lineage,” Studstill said. “It’s a very deep storyline, and bringing in someone that understands that history is the respect the franchise deserves. We don’t want somebody that thinks they know the best next step, but [someone who] really truly embodies it. Cory, of course, with God of War 2, had that passion.” Barlog adds onto this by revealing that, while he respected the established franchise as a whole, it was time for a change. “Gotta know the rules to break the rules,” he said. “We have to rip literally all of the walls down.”

We have a diversity of memorable moments that is far greater than we’ve had in previous games. The memorable moments range from a single line spoken by one character who spoke strongly to them, to an epic moment that is sort of bombastic, to a moment that we didn’t even think was that epic, but they perceived it as being this most amazing epic thing.”

God of War is arriving on the PlayStation 4 at some point in 2018, with a leaked date of March 22 having been seen on the PlayStation Store before it was altered to a placeholder date.

So, thoughts on the interview with God of War creative director Cory Barlog? Are there any mechanics from the older games you’ll miss? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!