After God of War's success, the overlords said "you're gonna make the second one and you're gonna do it in half the time and it's gonna be twice as long with more bosses and enemies"

God of War became an icon of early 2000's hack 'n slash games, and after its explosive launch, there was a huge expectation that Sony Santa Monica would deliver a sequel that was bigger and better, but take even less time to develop.

Speaking during a God of War 20th anniversary panel, now-Santa Monica game director Ariel Lawrence reminisces about her time working on the games. "We didn't know what God of War, the first one, would do," she says. "When it finally released we were like, 'Oh wow! Everybody loves it."

As is often the case with work, when you do well, you're rewarded with more work. "The company came around and was like, 'Okay, you're gonna make the second one. And you're gonna do it in half the time, and it's gonna be twice as long with more bosses and enemies,'" Lawrence remembers. "All of us were like, 'Okay.'"

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Once assets have already been made, teams have been built, and pipelines have been established, a sequel might be quicker to develop. You've already got a solid foundation to build on. But God of War 2 was a behemoth of a game, especially for the time.

"We did it," Lawrence says of the tall task, adding, "I don't remember a lot of sleep those years."

Lawrence has worked on the series since the beginning of the Greek saga and actually looks back on some of those crunch periods fondly. "The rally at the end – I think close is one of my favorite times. It's crazy sauce," she says.

If you're a fan of the axe-wielding angry bald man, and you must be if you're reading this article, check out our list of games like God of War that can scratch that Kratos itch.