On a spring afternoon in 2016, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles during the E3 videogame event, I crossed the stage between a packed house and a symphonic orchestra, to conduct an original theme I had written that had never been heard publicly. Even before the game’s title was revealed, the audience experienced a sweeping, symphonic score featuring Nordic folk instruments, choir, and strong, melodic themes. After my overture, the curtains parted and a vision of an older Kratos stepped out of the shadows, announcing that a new entry in PlayStation’s blockbuster God of War series was on the horizon, one which aged the character and promised a more mature narrative. The game launched in 2018 to universal critical acclaim and fan enthusiasm, cementing the vengeful god Kratos and his son Atreus a place amongst the most beloved videogame characters of all time.
In the spring of 2019, I found myself again in the offices of Santa Monica Studio, for creative discussions regarding the game’s sequel, God of War Ragnarök. Here the game’s previous director, Cory Barlog, introduced me to this new game’s director, Eric Williams. Cory and Eric have worked together for years on this franchise, and I immediately sensed Eric’s shared passion for the material and depth of experience. Having read the script, the scale of God of War Ragnarök became clear. This ambitious sequel’s story expanded upon the intimate character drama between Kratos and his son Atreus by introducing at least a dozen new characters, across all nine realms of Nordic mythology. The set pieces and action scenes were even more bombastic, and yet, the dramatic arcs were every bit poignant as those from the first story. In order to musically support this ambitious new narrative, I would need to fill God of War Ragnarök with new musical themes. At the same time, they would need to be interwoven with my material from God of War (2018).
For that original game, I had jumped into the score with enthusiastic abandon, ready to completely reinvent the sound of the franchise to fit this entry’s more sophisticated tone. However, this time, I felt the pressure of writing music in the shadow of my own previous work. Gamers the world over had forged emotional connections to my musical themes, and my work had won several major videogame industry awards. The thought of expanding on these ideas – and daring to think I might improve upon them – exhilarated and terrified me.
I began composing God of War Ragnarök in the summer of 2019, fully aware that I was at the onset of a journey that would be among the most creatively challenging of my career.
Warning: the following contains moderate spoilers for God of War Ragnarök
Last week, we asked you to head back to the Nine Realms and share epic God of War Ragnarök moments using the game’s newly released Photo Mode. After sifting through the action-packed shares tagged with #PSshare #PSBlog, here are this week’s highlights:
DotPone shares Kratos yelling while holding an ice charged Leviathan Axe.
crossedvisions shares Atreus standing on the edge of a structure in Helheim
sirevanztheduke shares Kratos swinging the Leviathan Axe at Thor in combat
discophotomode shares Angrboda tossing colored dust into the air
HazzaniVP shares A jellyfish-like Hafgufa floating over the lights of Alfheim.
NemesisNat shares Atreus drawing his bow surrounded by colorful lights
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Share of the Year
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on December 31, 2022
The end of 2022 is almost here, which means it’s time to look back on an epic year of gaming with Share of the Year. Share your favorite capture from the year using #PSshare #PSBlog by Dec 31 for a chance to be featured.
The year’s end is over the horizon, which means 2023 is about to begin. While 2022 has gone out with a god-sized bang thanks to God of War: Ragnarök, that doesn’t mean 2023 has nothing in store. The coming year is huge for PlayStation, stacked with a lineup of exciting releases. Whether you’ve been looking forward to the release of the ultra-customizable DualSense Edge controller, virtual reality adventures with PlayStation VR2, fantastical new IPs like Forspoken, or sequels to iconic titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, this year has something for you. While there’s a ton coming to PlayStation in 2023, this article aims to highlight a handful of the biggest things announced for 2023.
Note: This is a top-level article highlighting specific launches and is not meant to be comprehensive.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Speaking of Marvel’s Spider Man 2, let’s kick things off with some exciting news from developer Insomniac Games confirming the release window for the web-slinging sequel. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches on PS5 in fall 2023.
Following the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the Spider-duo of Peter Parker and Miles Morales are back in the next blockbuster action chapter of the Marvel’s Spider-Man series. Much is still to be revealed about the game, and going off the quality of the past two titles, we’re bound to be in for a fantastic new original Spider-Man adventure.
Read on for a special message from Insomniac:
“What a year it’s been for PlayStation Studios; here at Insomniac Games we’ve been in absolute awe of the work of our peers. Congrats to everyone on a successful 2022… and here’s to next year being just as exciting as we continue to get Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 ready for release next fall.”
– Bryan Intihar, Creative Director
Release Date: Fall 2023 | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | PS5
Now let’s dive into the more 2023 highlights for PlayStation.