As the season of big gaming announcements begins heating up, many fans are eagerly awaiting to see what Sony has in store for the PS5 and PSVR2 over the next year. Luckily, Sony has announced it will share the latest news on its upcoming games on May 24 at the 2023 PlayStation Showcase. While titles like Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off game all have a good shot at making an appearance, fans could be in for the reveal of an unexpected God of War Ragnarok follow-up.
After the overwhelming success of last year's God of War Ragnarok, Sony is in a prime position to keep the ball rolling with a side game in the franchise as players await the next mainline entry. This type of game would fit in line with Marvel's Spider-Man franchise, which received Spider-Man: Miles Morales in between the two mainline, Peter Parker-centric games. With the next God of War game staring Kratos still likely a long ways off, the foundation for a side game staring Atreus has already been built and would make for a good story bridge akin to Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
A God of War Spin-Off for Atreus Would Be Huge at the PlayStation Showcase
One of the biggest surprises to come out of Sony's reveal event for the PlayStation 5 in 2020 was the announcement of Spider-Man: Miles Morales as a launch title for the console. Coming only two years after Marvel's Spider-Man, not many were expecting a follow-up game so soon, even if it was only a side game. Although it has only been a short time since God of War Ragnarok released back in November 2022, Sony could repeat the hype of Spider-Man: Miles Morales' announcement by revealing an Atreus-focused side game in the God of War series at its upcoming showcase.
God of War Ragnarok successfully portrays Atreus as a capable and competent protagonist in his own right during the course of its story. Despite struggling with living under his father's shadow, the player gets to see Atreus grow and mature as a character as he grapples with his destiny as Loki and his Jotunn heritage. This growth manifests in the first instance of players getting to take control of Atreus, splitting the protagonist duties between him and his father Kratos throughout the game, a feature not present in the previous God of War entry.
The ending of God of War Ragnarok sets Atreus up in the perfect position to receive a solo side game as he sets off on his own to explore the different lands outside of the Nine Realms. A game like this would be a great opportunity to build upon the character arc Atreus undergoes during God of War Ragnarok and could see him further explore his identity as both Atreus and Loki. It would also give Atreus the chance to deepen his relationship with Angrboda and reconcile with Sif and Thrud, characters who deserve more time in the spotlight.
With the way God of War Ragnarok builds Atreus up to be a unique character from both a gameplay and a story standpoint, it would be a waste not to expand on his potential in a solo game. The 2023 PlayStation Showcase is a great chance to announce this title because it would not only be unexpected, but would be able to ride the success of God of War Ragnarok with it still fresh in the minds of players. Even if this type of game doesn't appear at this presentation, it's still likely to become a reality some day, as there is too much potential left in Atreus' story to leave it at God of War Ragnarok's ending.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.