"It's Crap, It's Dumb, It's Stupid" God of War Creator…

God of War: Sons of Sparta has caught the attention of series creator David Jaffe, and he doesn't like what he's seen, going so far as to call it "a dumb idea." While Jaffe admits to having only spent about an hour with God of War: Sons of Sparta, he's got some harsh words for it, criticizing everything from the new game's story and voice acting to its production value and combat systems.

One of the biggest games revealed at Sony's February 2026 State of Play, God of War: Sons of Sparta' s reveal trailer was featured in the coveted final spot of the showcase, and for good reason. The PlayStation 5 exclusive 2.5D action-adventure game was shadow dropped shortly after the live-stream event ended, letting fans of the God of War franchise dive in almost immediately after getting their first look at it. Since developers Santa Monica Studios and Mega Cat Studios, as well as publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment, kept a tight lid on the project, there are very few reviews of the freshly released game, but those that have made it to the public look generally positive, painting a relatively rosy picture of its success.

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God of War Creator Puts Sons of Sparta on Full Blast

That sentiment has not been shared by Jaffe, the creator of the God of War franchise, who served as game director and lead designer of the original game in 2005 and as creative director of its first sequel in 2007 before leaving Santa Monica Studio that same year. In response to the shadow drop of God of War: Sons of Sparta on February 12, Jaffe has released a nine-minute-long video on his YouTube channel, tearing the game to shreds over many of its qualities, including questioning the reasons Sony had behind green-lighting the project in the first place. "You know, I could go into the specifics of the game, but to me, the more fascinating part about this is, what is - why is this in existence?" He asked.

The largest portion of Jaffe's criticisms are pointed at God of War: Sons of Sparta's story, which sees a young Kratos and his brother Deimos training to be Spartan warriors, venturing off to find a lost recruit and unveiling a major threat to their society. Specifically, the series creator seemed baffled by the decision to make the game as a prequel, rather than continuing to build further on the character development of Kratos. He called out the version of Kratos presented in Sons of Sparta as being too generic, akin to someone who would fit in as the main character of a "WB kids' TV show or something" while also critiquing its pacing, which sees the action interrupted by multiple conversations in its early chapters.

god of war sons of sparta kratos fighting centaur

But he didn't stop at the story, also criticizing the game's production value. Comparing Sons of Sparta to other recent games with similar playstyles, he showed a stronger preference for the action-packed gameplay of Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Neon Inferno, and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. While Jaffe acknowledged the surge in popularity of the 2.5D genre and the God of War community's desire for a 2.5D game they can call their own, he found Sons of Sparta's gameplay to be "serviceable" and "fine," words he used derisively to point out the game's lack of real identity and "inability to respect the license; the brand."

Jaffe's critique isn't the only early hurdle for the game to overcome. A number of buyers were also put out over an apparent PlayStation Store error that listed God of War: Sons of Sparta as featuring two-player co-op, which has led to some multiplayer gaming fans asking for their money back, since that feature doesn't appear to exist. Still, the action-adventure title is still only a few days old at this point, and there's still plenty of time for God of War fans to make their way through the story and form their own opinions about the game.