God of War Creator David Jaffe Throws Serious Shade at the New Sons of Sparta Game

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Okay, so I’ve been following the news, and it turns out David Jaffe, the guy who created God of War, isn’t a fan of God of War: Sons of Sparta. He’s calling it a bad idea, honestly! He only played for about an hour, but he wasn’t holding back – he didn’t like the story, the voice acting felt off, and he even criticized how it looked and how the combat played. Pretty harsh words from the creator himself, right?

I was absolutely blown away by the reveal of God of War: Sons of Sparta at Sony’s February 2026 State of Play – it was saved for last, and you could tell they were really proud of it! And then, get this, they immediately released it after the show! As a huge God of War fan, I downloaded it right away. Santa Monica Studio and Mega Cat Studios kept this whole thing super secret, so there aren’t a ton of reviews out yet, but the ones I’ve seen are really promising – it looks like they’ve knocked it out of the park!

God of War Creator Puts Sons of Sparta on Full Blast

David Jaffe, the creator of the God of War series and the original game’s director and lead designer (as well as creative director for the first sequel), doesn’t share that view. After Sony unexpectedly released God of War: Sons of Sparta on February 12th, Jaffe posted a nine-minute video to YouTube criticizing the game, questioning why Sony even decided to make it. He stated, “I could get into the details of the game, but what’s more interesting to me is, why does this game exist?”

Much of Jaffe’s criticism of God of War: Sons of Sparta focuses on its story, which tells the tale of a young Kratos and his brother Deimos as they train as Spartans, search for a missing soldier, and uncover a dangerous threat. Jaffe was particularly surprised by the decision to make the game a prequel instead of continuing Kratos’s existing story. He felt the version of Kratos in Sons of Sparta was too bland, comparing him to a character from a children’s television show, and also criticized the game’s pacing, noting that early sections were filled with too much dialogue and not enough action.

Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment

He didn’t just critique the story; he also found the game’s overall quality lacking. He preferred the fast-paced action of games like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Neon Inferno, and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance over Sons of Sparta. While he understood the desire for a 2.5D God of War game and acknowledged the genre’s growing popularity, he felt Sons of Sparta‘s gameplay was merely “serviceable” and “fine” – terms he used to express that the game didn’t stand out and didn’t do justice to the God of War brand.

Image by Sony Intearactve Entertainment

The recent criticism from Jaffe isn’t the only challenge facing the game. Some customers were upset because the PlayStation Store mistakenly listed God of War: Sons of Sparta as having two-player co-op. This led to requests for refunds from players hoping for that feature, which isn’t actually in the game. However, God of War just came out a few days ago, so players still have time to experience the story and decide what they think of it.

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2026-02-14 20:34