Why Cory Barlog had to leave Sony and the God of War team
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."
