God of War Ragnarok could have been split into two games, making a trilogy

God of War Ragnarok is shirking the trilogy format to conclude the series’ Norse saga in just two games, but that wasn’t always set in stone. As it turns out, the development team at Sony Santa Monica had a lot of discussion about whether or not there should be a third game to wrap things up.

The latest behind-the-scenes video for God of War Ragnarok spells this out. “Whether the Norse saga was going to be a trilogy or just two games was something we debated a lot,” according to lead writer Rich Gaubery. “We waited for [creative director] Cory Barlog to weigh in, and he said, ‘Let’s do it in two.'” That presented its own challenge of course, as the team had to figure out how to fulfill the promise of the 2018 game while wrapping everything up in a satisfying way. “There’s a lot to cover,” adds senior producer Ariel Angelotti. “There are more characters that we follow, and, ultimately, it ends up feeling big and epic because there is a lot there for people to enjoy.”

Ragnarok certainly is shaping up to be a sizable game. Kratos and Atreus will be exploring all Nine Realms this time, and the video here is just the first in a series that will dive into each of those worlds. Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, and Asgard are brand new for Ragnarok, but we’ve seen a bit of Svartalfheim gameplay already. The behind-the-scenes series will continue posting after the game releases, so expect spoilers as the latter realms get their day in the sun.

Speaking of which, God of War Ragnarok releases on Wednesday, November 9, and it’ll be available on both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. A launch day bundle that packages together the game, a PlayStation 5 console with a disc drive, and a standard DualSense controller will also hit store shelves that day. Fans have already made their wishes known for what could come after Ragnarok too.