Santa Monica's New IP Rumors Are a Logical Progression…

Summary

Santa Monica Studio may be working on a new IP, marking a shift from their 19 years of focusing solely on God of War games.
A recent job listing hints at character development work on a new IP, and fans speculate Cory Barlog may be involved in the project.
PlayStation's strategy focuses on developing new IPs alongside established franchises, making a new project from Santa Monica Studio likely.

For well over two decades now, Santa Monica Studio has been one of PlayStation's most important first-party developers. After making its debut with the bizarre but electrifying racing game Kinetica, Santa Monica Studio began work on a franchise that would soon become its entire existence. Beginning all the way back in 2005, Santa Monica has spent the last 19 years making God of War games and nothing else. But that might be about to change.

Very recently, a ResetEra user named Angie spotted that a new Santa Monica rehire had updated their LinkedIn profile, and had stated that they're working on the "character development pipeline" of Santa Monica's new IP. No further details were given about this new IP, and fans should always take job listings and any other leaks with a pinch of salt, but it would make a lot of sense for Santa Monica Studio to be working on a new PlayStation first-party IP.

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Santa Monica Studio's Rumored New Game Can Learn From God of War

God of War has been the bread and butter of Sony's Santa Monica Studio, so ahead of a rumored new IP they should carry over one series staple.

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By Christian Buckley

Santa Monica Should Be Allowed to Work on a New IP After God of War

Santa Monica Studios Has Already Proven Itself Time and Time Again

It's been almost 20 years since the first God of War was released, and over the last two decades, Santa Monica Studio has continued to prove itself time and time again. The first God of War was met with critical acclaim across the board, as was its 2007 sequel. And that was only a taste of Santa Monica's success. Four more acclaimed God of War titles later, Santa Monica Studio's talent is clearer than ever, and its ability to produce hit after hit has undoubtedly made it one of PlayStation's most valuable developers.

Santa Monica has also left some pretty extensive blueprints should the God of War franchise need to be handed to another studio. The franchise's tone, general approach to mythology and narrative, and its key characters have all been repeatedly cemented by Santa Monica over the years, which would give a new studio some strong foundations to build from, and would allow Santa Monica to focus on new projects if it desired a change.

Santa Monica Studio's Cory Barlog has been working on an unknown project for a few years now, and that could be the new IP that the rumors are referring to, though that's not been officially confirmed.

Letting Santa Monica Work on a New IP Fits With PlayStation's Strategy

First-party IP has been a major focus of PlayStation for decades now, and that focus has only grown stronger in recent years. IPs like Marvel's Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Horizon, and, of course, God of War have all been instrumental in shifting PlayStation units in the last two console generations, and they've become major selling points of the entire PlayStation brand.

While all of these pre-established PlayStation first-party IPs are still playing a vital role in the brand's longevity, PlayStation is also trying to diversify its portfolio even further. Recent games like Helldivers 2 and Stellar Blade, and upcoming games like Concord are all good examples of this new step in PlayStation's ongoing strategy. With that in mind, it would make complete sense for Santa Monica Studio to be working on a brand new IP for PlayStation, whether it's in tandem with a new God of War or instead of it.

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