“This Is Not God of War” Original Creator David Jaffe Blasts New 2.5D Sons of Sparta Spin Off

Sony’s February 2026 State of Play finally gave God of War fans something new to chew on, with a surprise one two punch: confirmation that a Greek Saga trilogy remake is in development, plus an immediate shadow drop of God of War: Sons of Sparta, a 2.5D Metroidvania style entry built around a younger era of Kratos.

Now the post launch conversation is picking up serious heat, largely thanks to a very loud reaction from David Jaffe, one of the original creators of the God of War franchise. In his first reaction video, Jaffe says the quiet part out loud and does not hold back.

Jaffe’s take is not that Sons of Sparta is unplayable or fundamentally broken. His stance is that it feels “fine” in isolation, but that it lacks the identity, brutality, and larger than life character he associates with God of War.

In his view, the game’s biggest sin is brand mismatch. He argues that if you removed the God of War name, most players would not be as interested, and that the series DNA should not be diluted into something that could pass for a standard 2.5D action adventure.

In follow up videos after spending more time with the game, Jaffe expands the critique into a broader point about Sony Santa Monica’s modern priorities. He suggests the studio has become more story led than gameplay led, and frames Sons of Sparta as an example of that shift landing in an awkward spot.

From a market perspective, this is a classic portfolio move: keep the brand active, test new formats, and bridge the gap between tentpole releases. But in gamer terms, the risk is simple: God of War fans are calibrated for premium spectacle, and a smaller format spin off will get judged on whether it still delivers that power fantasy.

If Sons of Sparta sticks the landing with tight combat feel, meaningful progression, and bold art direction, it can expand the franchise footprint. If it does not, it becomes fuel for the narrative that Sony is over optimizing for story delivery at the cost of raw action satisfaction.

Either way, this is the kind of discourse that will keep the franchise top of mind while the trilogy remake and the next mainline chapter remain on the horizon.

What do you think: should God of War experiment more with side projects like this, or should every release stay locked to the big cinematic action formula?