Behind-the-scenes clips from God of War 2’s production have resurfaced on social media, emphasizing how complex game development can be for just a single minute of “gameplay.”
KaptainKuba recently reposted a snippet from the Making of – God of War 2 documentary that shows a somewhat sanitized version of how studio Sony Santa Monica created its epic action sequel. The resurfaced clip posted to Twitter skims over how the team developed a seemingly mundane moment where Kratos shakes and shatters a stone column.
Watch this before pursuing a career in game development. I don’t think I could do it 😂 pic.twitter.com/6RfSC9XOqvJanuary 10, 2024
Director Cory Barlog talks about everything that goes into creating a quick-time event such as that. “Just that one sequence alone, you have to involve the level designers because they basically create the space in which it takes place,” Barlog explains. “Those level guys are also modeling the column.”
He continues to list the personnel involved: “Animation has to wait until that column gets designed. The effects have to be put on it. Then a [combat designer] has to put it in and attack it to the buttons. Then, a sound person has to come in and attach the sounds on top of that. If any special code needs to get done – meaning a tool needs to get written in order to get this to happen – [programmers have] to get notified early on.”
According to Barlog, almost “every single department has their hands” in the pie for a section that only amounts to “a minute of gameplay.” That sounds incredibly iterative and complex, but it’s worth noting that the spectacle-action sequel released in 2007 for the PS2 and blockbuster game development has only grown in complexity – and instability.
