According to the latest rumors, the next God Of War installment could be in the works, and it may even be a half-sequel, a new term that has been popping up recently.
ViewerAnon, a popular Twitter user known for often reliable leaks and rumors, reported that Santa Monica Studio is working on ‘new God of War stuff’ that could either be a new DLC or a half-sequel.
The fact that Santa Monica Studio is working on more God of War is not unheard of. Earlier, a job posting on Santa Monica’s website hinted at the possibility of a God of War: Ragnarok sequel. The post details specifically mentioned that they were looking for a combat designer who had past knowledge of God of War games.
To further solidify, a popular leaker and community member, The Snitch also reported that a DLC for God of War: Ragnarök is in development. The post back in August 2023 mentioned:
Now that we know Santa Monica is working to bring more God of War content, like a sequel or a DLC, where did the “half-sequel” thing come from? And most importantly, what is a half-sequel?!
Half Sequel: A Glorified DLC?
Half-sequels may be regarded as standalone expansions that are too short to be a full game but provide a more complete experience than a DLC. But the real question is: Why?
The latest AAA games are taking longer than ever to make. With major graphical enhancements and larger, more realistic worlds expected from the bigger titles, the development is not expected to become any faster. With games taking more than 10 years to develop, half-sequels become a potential lifesaver for the studios.
We have seen these earlier and especially from PlayStation — for example, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Infamous First Light from Sony. These games are smaller but continue the story, and unlike DLCs, provide a standalone experience to the players.
The General Consensus Is Welcoming
This fairly new concept of smaller games could be hard to accept for fans, but this doesn’t seem to be the case for now. Many gamers are happy to see this introduction. Reddit user Severe-Committee6240 comments on a related post:
One thing you may want to keep in mind is that these games cannot be considered a dessert after the main main course, akin to a DLC. Nor are they appetizers before the next big sequel. These half-sequels could be the only release we may see from the developers over a long period of time, possibly many years.
What do you think of this new half-sequels trend? Let us know in the comments below.
