God Of War Director Had No Idea What He Was Doing With PS2 Sequel
Cory Balrog, director of the acclaimed God of War series says that he had no idea what he was doing with the PS2 sequel. The well-received follow-up to the PlayStation 2 classic, God of War, celebrated its 14th anniversary on March 13, 2021. God of War 2 follows Kratos after he ascends to godhood in God of War, as he seeks vengeance on Zeus. The game was a wild success and is known as one of the greatest video game sequels of all time. God of War 2 actually took home “PlayStation Game of the Year” at the 2007 Golden Joystick Awards. Having a tremendous amount of praise and admiration, the development process for God of War 2 seems like it would have been a piece of cake. It turns out, it wasn’t.
Sparking a long list of games and a fascinating history, God of War has amassed a dedicated community. God of War 2’s wild success helped pave the way for the future of the series, a future that is still unfolding today. After recent Twitter chatter about the next installment in the series, God of War: Ragnarok, Cory Balrog explained that the game will release when it’s ready. Players are anxious to jump back into the game world and are interested to see how Norse Mythology continues to play into the next game. While the development of God of War: Ragnarok nears its end and the hype of its release grows to an all-time high, it’s only natural that secrets of God of War development would pop up. As it turns out, 14 years after its initial release, God of War 2 is still sparking interesting conversations, one such revelation currently shocking fans.
In a response to a tweet by The Game Awards, Cory Balrog declared that “I had absolutely NO IDEA what the hell I was doing pretty much the ENTIRE time.” The tweet Cory Balrog is responding to is an appreciation post by The Game Awards for God of War 2 on the PlayStation 2. The God of War 2 anniversary post was retweeted by Cory Balrog with his comment about how totally lost he was while directing the game’s development. Cory jokes that “Every day felt like I was thrown on stage opening night to perform a musical that I had never even heard of, much less rehearsed.”
While the success of God of War 2 proves that Cory Balrog was the best director for the sequel, it’s interesting for fans to learn that he was not as prepared as he hoped to take on such a daunting task. Living up to the hype is by far one of the most stressful things a director can deal with, and taking on the mantle of providing a genuine God of War experience must have been extremely challenging. At the time, Cory Balrog didn’t have a good grasp of what it meant to be a director, but fortunately, he had an amazing team to both back him up and inspire his success. He jokes at the end of the tweet that he has only recently understood the mechanics of being a director, but that information has already been forgotten.
Cory Balrog seems to be in great spirits, providing humor during a stressful time in his career. As the release of God of War: Ragnarok nears, he is most likely inundated with deadlines, inescapable stress, and the need for his game to live up to the hype. If God of War 2 for the PS2 is any indication, it will.
Source: Cory Balrog - Twitter