God of War fans are on the fence about a leak that alleges the next entry in the series will have a new protagonist. As a franchise, God of War exists in a strange limbo at the moment: a Metroidvania spinoff shadow dropped last month, and a remake of the original trilogy announced, but no sign of the next mainline game just yet.

But a new leak has surfaced this week to throw a wrench in the works: NateTheHate claims that the next God of War game is targeting a 2027 release, and will feature a new protagonist: Faye, Kratos’ wife who dies prior to the events of God of War (2018). Fans aren’t sure what to think about her as a character, though, as she’s had relatively little screen time.

God Of War May Be Returning With A New Lead

Or so a new leak claims

According to frequently reliable leaker NateTheHate, Faye will be the protagonist of the next major God of War release. If the rumors are true and the given release date holds fast, her game will likely be out before the remake trilogy, which, fans have speculated, could take up to five more years.

Faye is introduced in the God of War reboot as Kratos’ second wife and Atreus’ mother. Although she presents herself as a mortal, she actually has a close connection to certain Norse mythological figures that I won’t spoil here – just know that her identity becomes a major sticking point in the latter half of God of War.

Faye then reappears in a series of dream sequences throughout God of War: Ragnarök, questioning Kratos’ philosophy and revealing more of her prophetic nature. She’s definitely an interesting character, a good foil for Kratos, and an important part of the Norse saga’s lore, but some fans still aren’t convinced about her taking the spotlight.

God Of War Fans Are Split On This Development

“We definitely don’t need more of the Norse pantheon”

Although news of another God of War game is always welcome, some fans aren’t sure about this one. As one player commented in a Reddit thread discussing the leak, “Faye seems like an awesome character, but we definitely don’t need more of the Norse pantheon.”

Some fans were surprised to hear that Cory Barlog, Santa Monica Studio’s creative director, stepped back from the development of Ragnarök to work on the Faye-centric prequel, with one commenter asking, “Why is Cory taking this project?”

In light of Barlog’s comments about not wanting to spend too long working on the Norse saga, with the intended trilogy eventually cut down to just two games, the decision to return to a Norse mythological figure in her own spinoff game definitely seems odd. “So they didn’t want to spend the time making a whole Norse trilogy and condensed it into Ragnarok, but did want to make a Faye prequel? I don’t understand the logic,” one comment reads.

Still, some players are just grateful that, if God of War is switching protagonists, they don’t have to play as Atreus. Although he’s a central character in the Norse saga, Atreus’ bow-focused combat style simply doesn’t fit what fans like about God of War‘s combat style. Faye, who, like Kratos, wields an axe, would be a much better fit. “I’d take Faye as the playable character over Atreus, can’t lie,” one player commented.

Still other commenters misread the original post and briefly believed the prequel would feature Freya, the Norse goddess who appears in God of War (2018) and wields powerful nature magic. That change in combat style, some fans say, would be more welcome, plus: “She does have the most interesting and devastating backstory out of them all… she could carry a game by herself.”

Either way, this leak isn’t yet confirmed, so I’d advise you not to get too worked up over it. Only time will tell what the next mainline God of War game will actually look like.

Created by

David Jaffe

Video Game(s)

God of War (2005), God of War II, God of War: Betrayal, God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War III, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, God of War: Origins Collection, God of War: Ascension, God of War III: Remastered, God of War: A Call from the Wilds, God of War (2018), God of War Ragnarok

Character(s)

Kratos, Atreus, Athena (God of War), Ares (God of War), Zeus (God of War), Baldur, Thor (God of War), Freya (God of War)