God of War Laufey star Deborah Ann Woll says she’s “totally unbothered” by the online hate surrounding her new PS5 exclusive because she knows “it’s great.”
Developer Santa Monica Studio announced its parallel story project during a State of Play presentation last month and immediately faced criticism from the internet. While many players are excited to dive into the new God of War game, others have made their disappointment loud and clear, calling out elements like a new cube sidekick (played by The Boys star Jack Quaid), the title’s combat, and Woll portraying its protagonist, Faye.
These naysayers have received pushback themselves, with opponents believing much of their negativity is simply sexism spouted by a vocal few who happen to have social media access as Kratos takes a backseat. Woll, who is also known for projects like Daredevil and True Blood, touched on the overwhelming response to her latest role while meeting TikTok user quinnphobic at Florida Supercon last weekend. She’s completely confident God of War Laufey will speak for itself, despite the backlash.
“Genuinely, I thought I was going to be much more offended by it, but one, I’m not on social media, so that helps, and two, I don’t know, I feel totally unbothered,” Woll said. “Because I just know it’s great. It’s okay if it’s not your cup of tea, but in no universe is it bad.”
Despite just one proper showing from Sony, we’ve already seen quite a bit from God of War Laufey. Its debut brought a whopping 20 minutes of gameplay, showing off how Faye’s combat kit ditches Kratos’ Leviathan Axe for new, magical abilities – and a killer sword.
The idea for a Faye-led God of War game is one that seems to have been brewing for quite some time. Woll recently revealed that God of War 2018 reboot director Cory Barlog shared at least some ideas for the game “nearly 10 years” before it was officially unveiled.
God of War Laufey has no firm release date but is expected to launch for PS5 in 2027. While Kratos will show up for at least one scene in the game, Santa Monica Studio has reassured fans that the god-killing protagonist will return for more entries in the future.
For more, you can read what God of War Laufey director Ariel Lawrence had to say to those who are skeptical following the new game’s reveal. You can also check out IGN’s interview with the team.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
