Gaming in city Santa Monica. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

According to reports from several insiders, the development of Xbox first-party game Perfect Dark is facing a lot of turmoil. Announced at the 2020 Game Awards by brand-new Xbox team The Initiative, the game promised a modern reimagining of Rare's Perfect Dark series, while retaining its hallmark blend of action, espionage, and sci-fi elements.

Blizzard is currently seeking job applicants for multiple high-level positions related to the creation of an unspecified, unannounced game. The job postings don't reveal much at all about what Blizzard's next big project might be, but the fact that the company is hiring shows that it has something new in the works for its fans.

A recent job listing on Santa Monica Studio's website hints at a new God of War game in development. The God of War series capped off the Norse saga with 2022'sRagnarok, which was followed up with 2023's free-to-play Valhalla DLC, both of which set up plot lines for future games.

Dead Island 2 has announced the exact date and times it's set to launch on Steam across the world. The zombie-mashing action adventure game was released on Xbox, PlayStation, and Epic Games Store almost exactly a year ago, unfortunately skipping out on Steam users. Despite its long and troubled 9-year development cycle across three different studios, Dead Island 2 released to positive reception, as it provides ample first-person melee action fun in incredibly vivid and iconic zombie-torn Los Angeles environments.

PlayStation maker Sony is considering a purchase of movie studio giant Paramount, according to reports.

Warning: Fallout season one spoilers ahead!

With recent job listings suggesting that a new game could be in the works at Santa Monica Studio, there's some speculation as to what the story could be. Previously, it was confirmed that would conclude the Norse saga of the series, leaving it as a duology, but in December 2023, the studio released a free, roguelike DLC,, which took place after this ending, suggesting that there is room for more stories set within the Norse mythology.

The former boss of Blizzard Entertainment has suggested a post-purchase tip feature that would let players give $10 or $20 extra to the developers of special games.

Just a year and a half after the release of God of War Ragnarok, fans are already excited for the next game in the revamped franchise. A new job listing from Santa Monica Studios, spotted by the Portuguese website Geekinout, has many speculating that development on a third title is already underway.

Unlike the Xbox and Switch, PlayStation's top 10 games ranked by average monthly active users (MAU) don't contain any first-party titles. Most of the slots on PlayStation, as well as on other platforms, are taken up by industry titans like Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Modern Warfare 3.

Exactly one year after its successful 2023 launch, Dead Island 2 is finally looking to make its arrival on Steam later this month, on April 22. This news comes just weeks after Dead Island 2 revealed key details of its second story DLC, titled SoLA, a southern LA music festival romp set for April 17.

A God of War fan created an adorable Kratos doll, complete with a tiny Leviathan axe. Kratos is known as a fierce and violent character, but players were able to see his gentler side as a father to Atreus in 2018's God of War and 2022's God of War Ragnarok, with this doll making the Ghost of Sparta look even softer.

Sony's first-party Santa Monica Studio is currently working on a new PS5 game, that much is known, having wrapped development on God of War Ragnarok with the release of the essential Valhalla DLC. If we had to bet, it will be quite some time before we hear anything more concrete, but one thing's for sure: whatever they are up to, creative director Cory Barlog seems incredibly excited about it.

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan is working his final day as the head of Sony's gaming giant, as the executive is set to retire from the company on March 29. Ryan was promoted to the position in 2019 and led PlayStation through some of its most successful years.

Bend Studio appears to be working on a live service game.

With the end of the Norse saga in God of War Ragnarok, Sony Santa Monica hasn’t outlined what’s next for the series. It did launchValhalla, an expansion-sized rogue-lite mode that serves as an Epilogue of sorts for Kratos, but the studio’s newest project remains unknown.

Swen Vincke, director of Baldur's Gate 3 and founder of developer Larian Studios, used the opportunity afforded by winning big at the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) to blame the industry's current state on rampant corporate greed, a sentiment we can get behind. Plenty of developers made their voices heard at the Independent Games Festival Awards and Games Developers Choice Awards (held as part of GDC). Still, Vincke directed his ire at a specific part of the industry: publishers, those companies that proliferate games and allow them to reach a wider audience, for a price.

The director of Baldur's Gate 3, Swen Vincke, was one of many to speak out on the recent mass layoffs within the video games industry at an industry awards show last night, blaming the job losses on corporate «greed» that had been «fucking this whole thing up for so long».

We have a new rumor about the God of War Ragnarok port to PC.

While may sell itself on its vast catalog, not every title is there to stay. Three games, including MLB the Show 23, will leave Microsoft’s subscription service at the end of March.

God of War on PC just hit an important milestone that would have seemed extremely unlikely 6 years ago when the game launched on PS4: it’s now available DRM-free via GOG.com (and it’s half-off at $24.99 for the rest of the month, to boot). The title has joined an impressive group of other PC games that were once exclusive to PlayStation consoles — all of which are completely free of DRM (digital rights management), software that is typically used to prevent piracy and mods. Currently, Days Gone, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection are each discounted, as well.

Stig Asmussen, acclaimed director of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor, has split from Respawn Entertainment and EA to create his own AAA game studio named Giant Skull. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor launched nearly a year ago to high praise from Star Wars fans and from gamers in general, going on to become one of the very best titles of the year, and leaving fans yearning for the series' confirmed third installment.

Former Star Wars Jedi series director and God Of War developer Stig Asmussen has founded a new studio, Giant Skull, to work on "gameplay-driven, story immersed action-adventure games set in captivating worlds". Based in Los Angeles, Giant Skull are even now developing a new "AAA single-player-focused action adventure" that runs on Unreal Engine 5.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's director has founded a brand new studio in LA full of industry veterans, and they're currently working on a new action-adventure game in Unreal Engine 5.

One hardcore God of War fan has taken their fandom for the franchise to a different level by creating protagonist Kratos as a custom fighter in EA Sports UFC 3. The man they call the Ghost of Sparta is such a popular and iconic video game character that many fans have tried to add Kratos to as many different games as possible, and perhaps some developers have also taken notice, seemingly enabling customization features to create him.

A God of War player encounters a stone lore tablet out in the real world, with a design seemingly pulled straight out from the game. Stone tablets in the game help flesh out the backstory of the God of War world, especially as protagonist Kratos navigates a realm that's relatively unfamiliar to him.

There are never any shortages of rumors, speculation, and supposed leaks in the video game industry. It’s tough to sift through what to put much weight on, but one leaker recently made a credible announcement. Today, we’re hearing more claims, this time on both Bloodborne and the God of War franchise. 

Santa Monica Studio is working on an unannounced action role-playing game, as suggested by some newly emerged evidence. While many industry watchers expect the company's next project to be another entry in its most popular franchise, God of War, Santa Monica Studio has yet to officially announce anything of the sort.

In case you missed it, Sony says it's not planning to release any existing franchise games this side of March 2025, meaning any first-party output in 2024 will be fresh properties, such as Stellar Blade or Rise of the Ronin. On this point, it's interesting that a new trademark application has recently been opened for what appears to be a new IP from PlayStation.

As reported earlier today, Sony shipped 8.2 million PS5 consoles during the three-month period ending 31st December, 2023 – a very good number which contributed to record-breaking revenue, but not enough to help it reach its forecast of 25 million units for the current financial year. Thus far, it’s sold 16.4 million units, and subsequently it’s revised its forecast down to 21 million.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead says it has had to «cap» concurrent players to around 450,000 to «further improve server stability».

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has apologised for ongoing server «capacity issues» and says it is working to «increase server capacity to accommodate all».

Helldivers 2 is awarding all players a 50 per cent XP and requisition bonus to compensate players for «a problem» that's preventing players from receiving the correct rewards at the end of missions.

The behemoth that is the games industry has profound responsibilities towards its players, and these are ever-evolving. Unfortunately, right now, actions towards accessibility – making games suitable for their disabled audiences – fall short of where they should be. Thankfully, accessibility is gaining more attention and traction across the industry though.

During its Q3 2023 earnings release, Sony updated investors on the new PS5 sales milestone. Just in December, it had announced 50 million units sold. The latest PlayStation console has now reached 54.8 million units sold since its November 2020 launch, having sold 8.2 million units in the last quarter.

One of the big talking points emerging as part of Microsoft’s rumoured switch in strategy is that a reduction in competition could result in complacency from PlayStation and its army of first-party developers. The issue, according to some, is that if Xbox were to abandon its own hardware – which, for the record, isn’t what any speculation is suggesting – Sony would have no real reason to compete.

Helldivers 2 creative director and Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt believes games should «earn the right to monetise», adding that whilst players are welcome to «support this title» by buying microtransactions, Arrowhead is «never forcing anyone to do so».

Helldivers 2 is now Playstation's biggest Steam launch, clocking up over 150,000 concurrent users on the PC platform over the weekend.

It’s never been a better time to be a multiplayer gamer, with fantastic titles such as Fortnite, GTA Online, and Call of Duty: Warzone taking the industry by storm. However, the same can be said about single-player experiences, especially in recent years thanks to the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Helldivers 2 has overtaken God of War to become the biggest PlayStation Studios game launch on Steam.

Helldivers 2 has become Sony’s biggest ever game launch on Steam, despite a ‘mixed’ reception from players.

A God of War fan has shared their design concept of what the normally bare-headed protagonist Kratos would look like with headgear. God of War fans love to create alternate looks for Kratos, especially since the modern games have made it possible for the character to wear different attires.

Black Forest Games, a German video game developer subsidiary of THQ Nordic, which Embracer Group owns, is reportedly planning to lay off around 50% of its employees. Last December, two Danish developers owned by Embracer Group, 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks, announced that over half of their staff would have their roles eliminated. With that announcement, around 1000 people were laid off by Embracer in the second half of 2023. Now, Black Forest Games is seemingly the latest developer to be affected.

The Last of Us Part II’s about to be seen in a whole new way. Grounded 2, a making-of documentary for The Last of Us Part II, premieres next week.

Palworld’s astonishing success swelled over the weekend, with the ‘Pokémon with guns’ survival and crafting game shooting up Steam’s most-played games list and selling millions more copies.

Palworld’s astonishing success swelled over the weekend, with the ‘Pokémon with guns’ survival and crafting game shooting up Steam’s most-played games list and selling millions more copies.

The Last of Us Part 2’s No Return is so good it makes you wonder why Naughty Dog even bothered with making a story. A bonus mode that comes with The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, No Return transforms the acclaimed 2019 game into a full roguelike experience. It’s a well-rounded, engrossing rework that shows off the game in a new light, while also underlining the identity crisis at the heart of Naughty Dog: the version of the studio that excels at top-flight action-adventure games, and the Naughty Dog that strives to tell uncompromising, mature interactive stories.

God of War fans have been speculating about what a new body for Mimir could look like, but one suggestion involving Baldur is a true stand-out. However, its likelihood is uncertain when taking into consideration certain story aspects.

Behind-the-scenes clips from God of War 2's production have resurfaced on social media, emphasizing how complex game development can be for just a single minute of "gameplay."

A new God of War Remake fan concept video within Unreal Engine 5 has been released, and we're sure that Kratos fans will appreciate it.

With the likes of The Last of Us, Uncharted, Twisted Metal, and Gran Turismo, Sony has adapted a number of PlayStation’s biggest properties of late, and there’s plenty more to come.A God of War series was greenlit for production at Amazon Prime Video in 2022, while a Horizon series has also been in the works at Netflix. At its CES 2024 press conference, Sony provided a brief update on both.

In this day and age, gamers are pretty much accustomed to expansions and DLCs being the norm. A successful game rarely passes on the opportunity to release additional post-launch content, be it premium (as a way of getting more revenue out of customers) or free (simply to say thanks to all the fans who bought the base game).

A God of War: Ragnarok developer has revealed that one of the game's subtlest sound effects is the sound of their baby's heartbeat from inside the womb.

A slide allegedly taken from a Sony presentation has revealed how many units some of the company's biggest first-party games have sold.

Christopher Judge inherited the blades of chaos in the God Of War reboot and its direct follow-up God Of War: Ragnarok, but the actor claims he’s uninterested in voice-matching earlier renditions of the character, played by Terrence C. Carson. 

Today, Sony announced the PlayStation Plus games lineup for January 2024. Subscribers across all of the tiers (Premium, Extra, and Essential) will be able to add a trio of great games to their libraries, including Asobo Studio's A Plague Tale: Requiem, Flying Wild Hog's Evil West, and Drinbox Studios's Nobody Saves the World.

God of War is a big success for Sony, especially Ragnarok, which has sold over 15 million units worldwide and recently received its acclaimed Valhalla DLC. However, some are still nostalgic for the old days of God of War, with Kratos traversing across ancient Greece and battling Zeus and his Pantheon.

The original God of War trilogy could be getting the remaster treatment.

A playable build has leaked for Marvel’s Wolverine.

As if Godof War Ragnarök wasn’t difficult enough, the latest free DLC God of War: Valhalla makes some of the intense and brutal fights even more tedious than before. 

The first patch for God of War Ragnarok's new Valhalla DLC is in, and the result is an overall difficulty bump for the already cutthroat roguelike mode. 

The latest God of War Ragnarok: Valhallapatch is now live, addressing ongoing bugs while balancing difficulty and combat in the DLC.

God of War creator David Jaffe has expressed his unhappiness with the current direction of the God of War series, and Kratos in particular, as he thinks the feelings and personal lives of the developers at Santa Monica have negatively impacted the character.

Sony Santa Monica Studio has deployed God of War Ragnarok Update 05.03, packing various fixes and nerfing the Tyr boss fight in the free Valhalla DLC.

This Week in Business is our weekly recap column, a collection of stats and quotes from recent stories presented with a dash of opinion (sometimes more than a dash) and intended to shed light on various trends. Check every Friday for a new entry.

God of War Ragnarok is an action adventure game created by PS Studios developer Santa Monica Studio for PS5 and PS4, and is the sequel to 2018's critically acclaimed God of War. In our God of War Ragnarok review, we described the title as «phenomenal» and awarded it a 10/10.

It's almost Christmas time, and you know what that means — publishers and developers from around the globe have descended on the PS Blog to spread some seasons greetings. Yes, the annual tradition returns, with lots of well-known teams sharing a festive image for fans to enjoy.

God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla is an unfortunate amalgamation of Norse words. However, the incoming free DLC (out today, 12th December) looks like a delicious second helping for fans of Sony Santa Monica's most recent release. We learned that Valhalla would serve as an epilogue to Kratos's story, and now we have a trailer showing it in randomly generated action.

God of War Ragnarok's free DLC is out now on PS5 and PS4. Adding a whole new component to Kratos' Game of the Year-worthy epic, Valhalla tasks players with battling through an increasingly dangerous gauntlet of opponents in roguelike fashion. For some, 'roguelike' is without a doubt a dirty term, but this expansion promises a personal journey for our favourite bald Spartan, as the grizzled warrior comes to terms with his past (and what might await him in his future).

Santa Monica Studios' free God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla DLC is proving to be much more than merely a tacked-on roguelike experience, surprising players with its narrative heft and implications for Kratos and the future of the God of War franchise. Santa Monica didn't do itself any favours by mainly focusing on the mechanical in its unveiling trailer, but you can't keep a good story down.

The end of 2023 is upon us, and as we look back on all the amazing gaming moments we’ve shared, the PlayStation.Blog team wants to thank you for making the past year a special one. 

Even by AAA standards, God of War Ragnarök is a colossal game. It interweaves tales of fatherhood, legacies, and cataclysmic events in a semi-open world replete with things to do. But in Valhalla, its free DLC, Santa Monica Studio boils combat and adventure down to a much simpler formula. In pulling from Hades’ approach to storytelling, God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla weaponizes repetition to engross you in its roguelite narrative, drip-feeding you deeper knowledge of the Ghost of Sparta and the characters around him with each successive run.

Over a year after its initial release, has returned with free DLC,. Taking players to Santa Monica Studio's imagining of the iconic Norse afterlife reserved for those slain in battle, presents a roguelite epilogue to 's story. While an unexpected expansion to the latest game is a welcome surprise in itself, the additional quests offer some rewards that are likely to pique the interest of fans who have been following Kratos' journey since the original Greek saga.

UPDATE

In the gaming space, the evolution of a franchise over the course of years is vital for it to stay relevant. If you can’t maintain a certain quality level, things will go badly for you. But, if you take the time to reinvent yourself, the results can speak for themselves. A great example from 2023 is Mario, who had a “wonder-ful” new title showcase how Nintendo isn’t afraid to change things up on a large scale. Last year had an equally big shift via God of War Ragnarok and how it depicted Kratos and those around him.

Following the ESA's announcement that E3 is no more, developers and industry figures have been sharing their memories of the event as they wish it farewell.

One of the coolest announcements at The Game Awards last week was the surprise reveal of the free Valhalla DLC for God of War Ragnarok. That DLC is out now, and players have been astounded to find just how rich and fully featured it is.

God of Ragnarok: Valhalla has launched, mere days after its surprise announcement at The Game Awards, bringing a free, story-driven roguelite mode to the acclaimed action-adventure title that serves as an epilogue to the base game’s story. Interestingly enough, however, it seems the game’s story still might not be done.

With God of War Ragnarok’s free DLCValhalla reportedly out in just a few hours for PS4 and PS5 players, co-director Mihir Sheth has confirmed that it will add new Trophies. The good news is that these will be separate from the base game and won’t affect the Platinum Trophy.