Why Cory Barlog had to leave Sony and the God of War team
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Mar 12th 2008 at 5:45PM }
Cory Barlog, director of God of War II, recently left Sony to do his own thing -- similar to how David Jaffe, director of the first God of War, moved on to creating independent studio "Eat, Sleep, Play." With the God of War franchise being so successful, why do these directors feel like they have to move on? Well, it's because of its success. In an interview with Level Up, Barlog reveals his fears of being "the God of War guy" for the rest of his career: "And I could see--this franchise is very successful for Sony and I think it's awesome. I was big part of making that a success for them and I think it's great that they should continue doing it, but I don't want to make God of War IV and God of War V and God of War: The Expansion Pack and God of War: The Role-Playing Kart Racing Game. I definitely could see that there is a potential for that."Barlog appears frustrated at the current state of the industry, which puts heavy restrictions on its game designers. A popular movie director, for example, can have his say after one blockbuster hit. Game directors don't get the same freedom. As a result, the industry as a whole has been seeing more and more high-profile game developers move on to independent projects: Yuji Naka and Shinji Mikami are a few examples that come to mind.
Ultimately, Barlog doesn't think the industry is going to change any time soon. It's going to take time for the industry to give the freedom game designers deserve. "I personally don't think that [my leaving Sony Computer Entertainment] is going to be a slap in the face to them or anything like that. That's not what it's meant to be, but--I don't think it's going to make them change immediately, but I do hope that it's best like this; that this is a step in the right direction for everybody in the industry and that more and more people can see that it is something that's feasible."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
carbuncle2322 @ Mar 12th 2008 5:53PM
Good job. The games industry is a whole different beast altogether. Look at what happened to COD. They have two different studios working to pump out games. Big name corporations like to keep their money makers and that makes it very hard to branch out to new IPs.
Dehshizknight @ Mar 12th 2008 6:04PM
A perfect example for what he was talking about would be Hideo Kojima. I mean, he will always be known as the creator of Metal Gear Solid.
I can see why people fear having a title tied to their name. You know that actor from Harry Potter that plays Harry? He said he did that broadway play because he didn't want to be known as 'Harry' his whole life (kind of the reason I can't remember his name). Lol
Kspraydad @ Mar 12th 2008 6:07PM
Kratos Kart?! Hell I'd buy that.
DrunkRaba @ Mar 12th 2008 8:37PM
would be an interesting game and a bit more violent than the typical Mario Kart, I'd bet.
russell @ Mar 12th 2008 9:31PM
this guy is definitely passionate about the progression of the gaming world, and i fully support him. besides the fact that i don't give a shit how god of war 3 turns out. seriously though i'm glad this guy is concerned with the big picture and not just the thickness of his wallet.
ajiezer @ Mar 12th 2008 6:32PM
Well that's partially the response of a blog post that I made in January, if anyone wants to check it out here's the link:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=307530775
Bluebrake @ Mar 12th 2008 6:53PM
Normally I'd be concerned about a director leaving a good franchise, but God of War seems to use a proven formula that works as long as somebody with a reasonable amount of talent is behind it.
Strange that none of the ripoff games (e.g. Heavenly Sword) have been able to duplicate its success.
Kspraydad @ Mar 12th 2008 7:08PM
Heavenly Sword approx .85 million on 10.8 installed base attach ratio: 7.8% (or even higher if measured from installed base at launch)
God of War 2 approx 2 million on approx 110 million consoles at launch of game, attach ratio: 1.8%
God of War 1 approx 3 million on approx 95 million consoles at launch of game, attach ratio: 3.15%
Bluebrake @ Mar 12th 2008 7:11PM
I'm talking about gameplay success, not sales. GoW has managed 3 AAA games without deviating much from its formula, while Heavenly Sword... not so much.
And on an unrelated note: attach rate is meaningless.
Chris Rah Osiris @ Mar 12th 2008 7:14PM
Hopefully the projects that he makes now that he's independent will be innovative and successful
halebound00 @ Mar 12th 2008 7:50PM
All I know is that if Kratos was in SSBB then Mario would be pooping his overalls.
Schoolimangooli @ Mar 12th 2008 7:52PM
All power to him. Be cool if he made Sony exclusives though.
Kohath @ Mar 12th 2008 11:24PM
The difference between the games business and Hollywood is that the games business is a great business that turns out a great deal of extremely high quality products. Hollywood, on the other hand, turns out many ridiculous high-budget failures.
This is because of the phenomenon that Cory Barlog talks about. Creative people get carried away sometimes and need to be told "we won't pay to produce that product because, even though it appeals to you, it won't appeal to an audience". Hollywood loves Hollywood and hates and disdains it's customers. The games business needs to continue to avoid Hollywood's failures.
The business of game production isn't about keeping Cory Barlog happy. It's about the gamers.
Bluebrake @ Mar 12th 2008 11:59PM
Excuse me? You think the problem with Hollywood movies is that they don't pander to their audience *enough*? Do you figure the problem with Pearl Harbor was Michael Bay's "artistic vision" trumping its entertainment value?
Kohath @ Mar 13th 2008 12:16AM
Did Pearl Harbor entertain it's audience and make a profit? What's the problem with that?
Just because you didn't like it doesn't mean there was a problem. It may mean the movie wasn't made to suit you and you weren't the intended audience. That's OK because you are not the center of the universe.
Consolcwby @ Mar 13th 2008 12:19AM
O.o I want the drugs you've been taking! I HATE THE REAL WORLD!!! x,X
BananaBoat @ Mar 13th 2008 1:40AM
So he doesn't want to make money. Let's give the man a medal. :P
tbor @ Mar 13th 2008 11:48AM
I have great respect for this Boris Karlov fellow.
dr.o67676 @ Apr 18th 2008 3:38AM
vyu see the problem with these guys leaving is that the 3rd game could suck. its not a good idea 4 the main guys that made the game so good 2 leave the franchise in mid step bcause whoever is taking over the 2 spots could ruin the whole product. look at the terminator franchise 4 example the 1st 2 were good bcause cameron was directing then 3 came out cameron was out os the series that it sucked. u guys getting it?