The rumors claiming we're getting a new God of War game with Faye as the protagonist were true. God of War Laufey's reveal closed Wednesday's State of Play, and if you've been wondering where exactly on the series' timeline the game takes place, Cory Barlog is already on hand to clear things up.

The assumption was that Faye's game would be a prequel since - spoiler alert - she's dead during the events of God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok. However, as confirmed during its reveal, Laufey takes place after Faye has died, following her journey as she tries to figure out what exactly is going on in her afterlife.

The Events Of Laufey Take Place Alongside The Previous Two God Of War Games

Game director Ariel Lawrence revealed to IGN that the idea of a Faye-led prequel was discussed, but the team at Santa Monica ultimately decided that telling a story that takes place after her death would be more interesting. So, when exactly does God of War Laufey take place? At the same time as the other two Norse God of War games, apparently.

"[It] has direct connections to everything, so that everything is part of a singular universe inside of it," Barlog explained, noting that he and the God of War team have been putting the pieces in place for a game like this ever since the God of War reboot almost a decade ago.

That might sound a little bit like Faye's game is a side story. A detour before we return to join Kratos's path, or Atreus if that's the direction in which the series is headed. This isn't a side story, though. "This is all a new chapter in the same book," Barlog explains, "A massive book, and we are starting to show that this has more than you could have imagined."

There Were Indications During The Reveal That Faye's Fight Runs Parallel To Kratos And Atreus's

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Some of you might have assumed Laufey runs parallel to the previous two God of War games since its reveal began with the scene from 2018's game where Kratos and Atreus burn her body following her death. Faye then wakes up, presumably in another realm, and her quest to discover what's going on begins.

There's no inclination as to how much time has passed between her cremation and her waking up in the afterlife, nor any way to tell how quickly, or slowly, time passes in this unfamiliar realm. Barlog does appear to have confirmed that her waking up is immediate and that time is passing for Faye at the same rate as it's passing for Kratos and Atreus in God of War and Ragnarok.

There are seemingly hints in Laufey's gameplay reveal suggesting Faye and Kratos's realms are intertwined, and that their video game adventures are taking place simultaneously. At one stage, Kratos helps Faye up. God of War fans have already lined up that moment with the one where Thor briefly kills Kratos in Ragnarok, only to immediately bring him back to life. Iit looks a lot like Kratos might actually be in the afterlife with Faye for that brief moment he's dead.

Video game timelines can be a bit of a headache. Just ask Nintendo fans who tried to figure out how many Paulines there are in Donkey Kong's multiverse, and then ask them how they feel about The Legend of Zelda's split timeline. Even with the events of Laufey, God of War's timeline is still relatively simple by comparison, especially with Barlog on hand to clear up any misunderstandings that might arise.

God of War Laufey Like Follow Followed Action Adventure Hack and Slash RPG Systems Developer(s) Santa Monica Studio Publisher(s) Sony Interactive Entertainment Prequel(s) God of War, God of War Ragnarok Franchise God of War Number of Players Single-player 9 Images Close
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Genre(s) Action, Adventure, Hack and Slash, RPG Powered by Expand Collapse