God of War Ragnarok only just released about a month ago, so it's obviously going to be a while before we get any hints about what developer Santa Monica Studio is working on after this title, because whatever the studio's next project is going to be is likely in the early stages of development at the moment.

And when you dig a little deeper, you’ll realize there’s a lot to talk about here… because, like most AAA developers in the industry at this point, Santa Monica Studio may have multiple projects in development. After all of these expectations, the studio’s creative director, Cory Barlog, has affirmed the same, saying that the Santa Monica studio “is working on a lot of different things.”

Therefore, the question of what the next release will be may have different answers depending on several factors, although it is important to keep in mind that at this point the vast majority of our article will certainly be speculation.

What exactly are the types of projects and what will the Santa Monica studio be working on next? Aside from the development support I've provided as an external team for a huge variety of games over the years for art-heavy games like Journey, Starhawk, The Order: 1886 and more, the God of War title was the only thing the developer had going for it.

Sure, Santa Monica Studio's first title was Kinetica in 2001, but that's the only non-God of War game the developer has ever made. And since the series debuted on the PS2 in 2005, it's been all God of War.

Alright, let's get to the big part. It's not like the developer hasn't experimented with new titles. After the disappointments with God of War: Ascension, the Santa Monica studio's next project was supposed to be a new IP. That remake ended up being scrapped, a lot of people at the studio lost their jobs, and Sony Santa Monica basically had to refocus its efforts solely on God of War, which at the time was in a very early stage of development according to the official 2018 documentary.

Now that the Norse God of War saga is over and the developer and series are arguably in their best and healthiest shape, both critically and commercially, perhaps it's time for Sony and the developer to take another step in creating a new IP?

It's always exciting to see a new idea come to life, especially when it's from a great developer, so there's no shortage of people or talent who would give anything to see Santa Monica Studio get their hands on something completely new.

Is it possible that while God of War Ragnarok was nearing the final stages of its development, another smaller team within the studio began developing the next chapter in the series? When it was announced last year that Ragnarok would be directed by veteran Eric Williams, while Cory Barlog was confirmed to direct the 2018 sequel, he was working on something else in the early stages of production.

Could this be the next God of War game that takes us to, say, Egypt? Not too long ago, when Barlog was still ironing out key details and what God of War's post-Ascension setting would look like, he was seriously considering Egypt as a future setting, and has made it clear on multiple occasions that the series is flexible enough to move from one mythology to another as it continues into the future.

There's a good chance we'll end up getting a standalone spin-off in the same series that focuses on a different character, something along the lines of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. As anyone who's played Ragnarok knows, the game leaves the door open for that kind of game in the future. We wouldn't be surprised if we get a smaller Norse epic game that acts as a stopgap between Ragnarok and the studio's next big game.

It's good to say that for now, Santa Monica Studio has joined a very small and exclusive list of developers who have a high level of trust with fans, no matter what they work on next, people will love to see this project.

Whether it’s a new GOW game in a new setting or a new IP that’s trying to do something completely different, Santa Monica Studio’s incredible track record and consistent talent in creating their masterpieces ensures that we’ll be paying close attention to their next project.

Yes, it'll be a while before we get more concrete details about what the next game will be like, but for now it looks good enough to say that it'll probably be worth the wait.

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