Sony Santa Monica, currently developing God of War: Ascension, has reportedly “pulled back” from including violence against women in the upcoming title.
Senior executive of Sony Santa Monica, David Hewitt, has explained that even though the series is noted for including brutal, bloody violence, there was always a limit to what the developers were comfortable about including.
Hewitt explains to IGN, “The team has a set of rules that define these sorts of things very clearly.”
“There are some things we’ve pulled back from.” explains Hewitt. “I think where this has been an issue is with violence against women – the team’s pulled back from that and assessed that a little more carefully.”
“There are certain things that carry a different kind of resonance that we don’t want to get in to. This isn’t about statement making in that regard. It’s about fleshing out this character.”
Hewitt goes on to explain how even though Kratos destroys his enemies in brutal fashion, there is no revering, or pleasure in their demise.
“Where it shows itself is how the combat designers and animators have designed Kratos’ moves.” says Hewitt. “He’s always leaning forward, he’s always moving forward. He’s seeking revenge and he’s after his ultimate objective and he will tear through enemies – rip them in half – as quickly as he can. But there’s not a lot of flourishes, there’s not any kind of enjoying the moment. There’s nothing about this that he’s enjoying.”
God of War: Ascension is currently set to release March 12, 2013.
(Via Eurogamer)