Cory Barlog is the Creative Director of the soon-to-be-released
God of War game. But this isn't the first title in the
God of War franchise he's worked on since he was also the lead animator for
God of War(2005) and then became the Game Director for
God of War II(2007) when working for Sony Interactive Entertainment's Santa Monica Studio.
Barlog recently sat down with the Daily Star to talk about the game and the idea he had for Crystal Dynamics'
Tomb Raider reboot that came out in 2013. The idea he pitched back in 2012 when
Tomb Raider(2013) was still in development was the famous one-shot technique that is being used in the new
God of War game. Oddly enough, this idea was dismissed by Crystal Dynamics and wouldn't see the light of day until now.
In his
interview with the Daily Star, Barlog mentions that "
I wanted to do this [the one-shot camera technique] and I had pitched it to Crystal Dynamics when I was there working on Tomb Raider and everyone was like, 'that’s crazy, we don't want to do that'." After being told that the idea was a no-go, he remembers thinking:
"I didn't know if that was the best place for me, any way."
And that was when he left Crystal Dynamics in April 2013. It wasn't until August, that year, that Barlog would return to Sony's Santa Monica Studio.
"I was already starting to talk to people about new roles at Sony and then I think I realised this [God of War] is the one I can do it on. I guess, for me, there was just a lot more creative support and faith with Sony. Like they’d say, you’ve got a crazy idea, we’re going to support you, regardless of how much of a leap off of a cliff it is."
But not everything has been as easy as it sounds since the implementation of the one-shot technique he wanted to use in God of War would bring a lot of hurdles they needed to jump over, as explained recently by the game's Director of Photography Dori Arazi.
Regarding the one-shot technique, Barlog also mentions that "In the beginning, I had to fight the fight with everybody on the development team. And eventually, one by one, you win them over, you show them something, you explain how it’s going to be. But, honestly, I think even then, they weren’t convinced. But in this last month, everybody’s had a lot of free time. Bugs have to be reproduced and as most people are creating content, they are playing the game more. And I’m getting leads from various departments and animators and artists from the Studio coming into my office and saying, okay, I get it. Seeing the game as a whole makes sense, I see why you wanted this thing."
This will certainly get a lot of people excited for the game.
His vengeance against the Gods of Olympus years behind him, Kratos now lives as a man in the realm of Norse Gods and monsters. It is in this harsh, unforgiving world that he must fight to survive…And teach his son to do the same. This startling reimagining of God of War deconstructs the core elements that defined the series—satisfying combat; breathtaking scale; and a powerful narrative—and fuses them anew.
God of War is coming out exclusively for the PlayStation 4 on the 20th of April.