LinkedIn is many things: a job board, a networking tool, a place where people post inspirational quotes about hustle culture. It is apparently also, if you're not careful, a very effective way to leak an unannounced PlayStation exclusive to the entire internet.
That's the situation Santa Monica Studio finds itself in after a former senior writer updated their professional profile to note they had
"helped shape the narrative vision and creative direction at Sony Santa Monica Studio for a new franchise within the God of War universe."The post was deleted quickly, but not before it was screenshotted and posted to the ResetEra forums, as GameSpot reports. From there, the gaming press did what it does.
The leak was almost immediately corroborated by multiple industry sources. Insider NateTheHate posted to X confirming the game is set within the God of War universe, with one significant twist: Kratos is not the lead. According to NateTheHate, the game will feature Faye as its protagonist. Faye, for those not deep in the God of War lore, is Kratos' late wife and the mother of Atreus. God of War (2018) begins with her having just died, her final wish being for Kratos and Atreus to scatter her ashes from the highest peak in all the Nine Realms. She has been a shadow hanging over the Norse saga since the beginning, and fans have long speculated about her full story.
NateTheHate also claimed that gameplay will differ from the Norse God of War games, with a greater focus on action, and that the current plan is for a reveal this year and a release in the first half of 2027, barring any delay. Fellow insider Shpeshal Nick backed the claims, suggesting the title is set to move away from the cinematic action-RPG formula of God of War (2018) and Ragnarök, with the project described as leaning closer in spirit to Devil May Cry than the slower, RPG-style combat of the recent games.
This timeline fits with comments made by Kratos voice actor Christopher Judge, who recently said that Santa Monica Studio would be revealing its next game this summer. It also aligns neatly with what Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier had already hinted at. Schreier commented on the ResetEra thread, noting this was what he had been referring to back in July 2025 when he described Sony Santa Monica's next project as something that was "not a new IP but it might feel like one." After the LinkedIn post went viral, Schreier wrote in the same discussion thread: "I suppose now it's become obvious what I meant."
The fan response has been, predictably, mixed. Some players are excited about the prospect of playing a character who has been tantalisingly off-screen for two full games. Faye is established in the Norse games as having fought Thor herself and as possessing the power to see the future, having essentially written the events of both God of War (2018) and Ragnarök as prophecy. There's a lot of untold story there. Others, however, are frustrated that after years of speculation about an entirely new setting or a brand-new IP, the studio appears to be staying within familiar Norse territory.
The broader picture here is worth considering. Jason Schreier has reported that Sony wants to transform the God of War IP into something akin to an MCU, with multiple parallel stories and characters. A Faye-led franchise would be one branch of that strategy. Meanwhile, GameSpot reports that Sony and Santa Monica Studio are also working on a remake of the original God of War trilogy, and a live-action TV adaptation is in production at Amazon Prime Video. The God of War brand is clearly being treated as a long-term franchise asset, not a series winding down after Ragnarök.
Let's be real: a leaked LinkedIn bullet point is not a game announcement. All rumours and leaks should be taken with a hefty pinch of salt. None of these reports have been confirmed by Sony Santa Monica. Plans shift, timelines slip, and the games industry has a long history of projects looking very different by the time they actually ship. But the convergence of a CV slip, corroborating insiders, and a knowing comment from one of the industry's most reliable journalists does paint a fairly coherent picture.
For now, the most honest read is this: Santa Monica Studio appears to be building something new within a familiar world, and whether that turns out to be a genuinely fresh direction or a safe franchise extension will only become clear when the studio decides to show its hand. If Christopher Judge and NateTheHate are both right, that moment could come before the end of 2026.