God of War Ragnarok producer says there's "story in all games" amid Elden Ring narrative discourse
Cory Barlog says "narrative/story mean so many things in games"
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
God of War director and God of War Ragnarok producer Cory Barlog is seemingly weighing in on the Discourse™ around Elden Ring's nomination for best story at The Game Awards 2022.
In case you missed it, earlier this week The Game Awards revealed its full list of nominations, and some folks on social media raised an eyebrow at Elden Ring being nominated for its story, which is mostly told through cryptic interactions with NPCs, item descriptions, and world design features. While some think the nomination is undeserved, others are defending Elden Ring's story vociferously.
If you need help opening all the God of War Ragnarok Nornir Chests then we have all the locations and solutions here.
The debate is getting pretty heated, frankly, but Barlog is weighing in with a refreshingly measured take in which he argues quite deftly that all games tell a story in their own unique way. He's internet-wise enough not to mention Elden Ring specifically, but it's pretty clear he's reacting to the ongoing debate.
"Narrative/story mean so many things in games," Barlog wrote on Twitter. "Their delivery method and frequency differ in all games. Because games are what they are, I feel there is narrative/story in ALL games. While non-traditional in its manifestation, they all take us on a unique and moving journey."
Fresh off the release of the acclaimed God of War Ragnarok, which has seen near universal praise for its story, Barlog is uniquely qualified to comment on a debate around narrative design in video games. He goes on to argue that the video game space is still a relatively new platform for storytelling and that "moving the needle" in terms of how stories are told is a good thing.
"I'm just very excited to join that collective of creatives + studios to utilize all the tools we have available as game makers to join the fight," he said.
Speaking more specifically to video game stories being nominated for awards, Barlog implied that he thinks The Game Awards nominating Elden Ring is fairplay.
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
"Basically, I think all games should be nominated for story and narrative in some way because they all have them in some way that is solely and completely unique to the world of games."
Here are our picks for the best games of 2022 so far.

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.


