Key findings
- A new job posting at Santa Monica Studio suggests that the developer is working on a “narrative fighting game” aimed at “next-generation platforms.”
- The wording clearly indicates that the project is a PS6 game, which means it could potentially be released after 2027/2028.
- Further details in the job listing suggest that the narrative fighting game will feature a photorealistic art style and share similarities with other PlayStation Studios AAA projects.
Some newly emerged evidence suggests that God of War developer Santa Monica Studio is working on an ambitious narrative fighting game, possibly for the PlayStation 6. Not much has been known about the award-winning developer's plans since the release of God of War Ragnarok in 2022, but in-depth investigations may indicate that a “next-generation” project is underway at the Santa Monica studio.
Although God of War Ragnarok was a huge success for Sony and Santa Monica Studio in every respect, the ending of the game sparked much speculation about whether the studio would God of War Let the franchise rest for some time. God of War Ragnarok crowns the Nordic saga, but the free-to-play Valhalla DLC also spoke in favor of the retirement of Kratos, the iconic protagonist of the series. It remains to be seen what the next mainline God of War What the game will look like and when it will come out is anyone's guess, but for now there are other projects from Santa Monica Studio that fans can look forward to.
It's been known for some time that one of Santa Monica Studio's upcoming projects is a brand new IP, but a recent job listing suggests the developer may already be working on a game targeting Sony's next-gen PS6 console. The job listing is seeking a Senior External Development Environment Artist for a “next-gen narrative fighting game.” While this could be dismissed as hyperbole when viewed in isolation, the job responsibilities section further confirms that this project is indeed targeting “next-gen platforms.”
Santa Monica's 'Narrative Combat' project could be a PS6 game in year one
These clear “next-generation” mentions suggest that this project is currently in the early stages of production and won't be ready until after 2027/2028, which is the rumored release window for the PS6. Since the wording also differs from previous job postings from Santa Monica Studio that hinted at an unannounced action RPG, it seems plausible that this narrative fighting game is a separate project that won't see the light of day for a long time. AAA games take between five and seven years to develop, so this could be a year-one PS6 game.
Interestingly, the job listing also mentions that experience “working on AAA projects similar to PlayStation Studios titles” is preferred, so Santa Monica’s mystery narrative fighting game doesn’t seem to stray too far from the studio’s established format. It has yet to be decided whether this will be a new God of War game or possibly another new IP, but speculation points to the former, due to the huge popularity of the God of War Franchise.
It should also be interesting to see how Santa Monica Studio will utilize the PS6's hardware for its narrative combat project, especially since the job listing suggests the game will have a photorealistic art style. Rumors about the PS6 are only just starting to appear in the mainstream, but it seems PlayStation's first-party studios have been working on games for the next-gen console for some time.
