God of War Laufey was planned years ago, actress says

The next instalment in the God of War series was reportedly planned years before its recent announcement, according to actress Deborah Ann Woll. Woll said the idea for a game centred on Laufey, Kratos' late wife, was pitched to her in 2018 by Santa Monica Studio creative director Cory Barlog. The comments suggest the project had been in development conceptually for a long time, even if the announcement only became public during a recent State of Play presentation.

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Woll said she had kept the project secret for nearly 10 years and was relieved that it had finally been revealed. She said Barlog had already shown her a poster for the Laufey game when she was brought in to discuss God of War Ragnarök, describing the concept as something that had been part of the lore from the beginning. According to her remarks, the studio had known about the direction before 2018, indicating that the idea was not a late-stage spin-off decision.

The revelation adds context to the franchise's direction after God of War Ragnarök and its Valhalla downloadable content, which many players saw as a possible endpoint for Kratos' story. Before the announcement, fans had speculated that the series might shift to Atreus, Freya or another mythology. Instead, the new project appears to focus on Laufey, a character who only briefly appeared in Ragnarök through dream sequences.

The comments also underline how carefully major game projects can be managed behind the scenes, especially when publishers want to preserve surprise around a new entry in a long-running series. In this case, the secrecy appears to have lasted across multiple development cycles and public releases. That makes the announcement notable not only as a franchise update, but also as an example of how long-term narrative planning can shape a major game series.

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Woll also suggested that the Kratos-led side of the franchise will continue alongside the new direction, saying the other branch of the story will go forward. She said she was excited to lead this new phase for a time, while the wider series expands in another direction. Her remarks point to a franchise that is not ending, but branching.

What remains unclear is how far along the Laufey project is, what form it will take, and how it will connect to the existing God of War timeline. No release date was given in the material reviewed, and the studio has not publicly detailed the scope of the game in the supplied information. The next developments to watch are whether more cast, story or platform details are confirmed in the coming months.

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