The 'God of War' trilogy is getting a remake

The original God of War trilogy is getting a remake over 15 years after it ended. Developer Santa Monica Studio announced the project on Thursday during PlayStation's State of Play showcase.

Very little has been revealed about the God of War remake aside from its existence. However, it does appear as though original voice actor Terrence C. Carson is returning for the game. Carson voiced protagonist Kratos in the original God of War trilogy, and appeared during the remake announcement.

"This project is still in the early stages, so it'll be a minute before we get back to share another update," said Carson. "But I'm telling you, I'm telling you, next time we come back, we coming with something big, baby."

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of the God of War franchise, with God of War first released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. The game followed Kratos, a Spartan warrior who served the Greek pantheon, as he embarked on a revenge quest to kill the titular god Ares. The subsequent two games also kept Kratos on a mission of revenge, turning his blades toward the king of the gods Zeus.

All three titles in the God of War trilogy were well-received at the time of their release, widely praised for their brutal, fluid combat. However, other aspects of the games have not aged quite as well, having treated women as sexual objects to be bedded in minigames and then discarded. In one infamous incident in God of War III, Kratos used an enslaved, half-naked woman as a literal object to solve a puzzle, leaving her screaming as she was crushed to death. 

It's currently unclear how the God of War remake might tackle such issues, particularly as the original games are well-known for their highly sexualised depiction of women. The series successfully retooled its approach more recently in a soft reboot, which delivered satisfyingly powerful combat alongside a markedly more mature, evolved, and nuanced approach to both women and masculinity. Even so, 2018's God of War and its follow-up God of War Ragnarök had the benefit of being able to tell new stories, rather than remaking games that fans are already familiar with.

The remake wasn't the only God of War news to drop during Thursday's State of Play, with PlayStation also giving a surprise announcement and release of new 2D action platformer God of War Sons of Sparta.

Developed by Mega Cat Studios with writers from Santa Monica Studio, Sons of Sparta is a prequel to the God of War series, and follows a young Kratos who's still in training alongside his brother. The side-scrolling game features retro-style pixel graphics with Carson narrating as Kratos, reprising the role for the first time since God of War: Ascension in 2013. (Christopher Judge voiced Kratos in the 2018 reboot and its sequel.)

God of War Sons of Sparta is available now for $29.99 on PlayStation 5.