GoW creator says he's fed up

By Ellie Gibson Published 19 July, 2006

With making action adventures.

God of War creator David Jaffe has declared that while he still enjoys playing action adventure games these days, he's right fed up of making the things.

In a post on his blog, Jaffe wrote: "As a game player, I find myself enjoying single player action adventure games more than I have since I was a kid. I get immersed in them more, get more wrapped up in the stories (even the ones told thru cut scenes), and actually feel like I am living the adventure.

"But as a guy who has DESIGNED one of these damn epic things, I can tell you that I no longer have any interest in making these kinds of games."

So what's the problem? Well, Jaffe explains, when playing a good action adventure game, you're treated to an endless series of cool scenarios, exciting story twists and tip top visuals.

"But when you make one, you struggle for days, working alone and with the team, to just create ONE of those cool moments; just ONE of those 'Oh sweet' events. And then, when it’s done, you gotta get back to work and make another one and then another one."

The fact is that since doing God of War, Jaffe has "lost interest in the genre of single player action adventure games. In fact, I've really lost interest in making any kind of game that does not fully and only embrace interactivity in the most purest sense."

So it's a bit unfortunate for him that he's currently working on God of War 2, then. And who knows whether he'll go on to produce GoW 3 - despite recently suggesting that a third instalment in the series was a definite possibility. Hmm...

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (33) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Blerk #1 6 years ago

    He's mad as a hat, isn't he?

  • Steroyd #2 6 years ago

    Wow i guess this is how Hideo Kojima must feel with Metal Gear Solid.

    I bet He didn't have an instant EUREKA moment when he thought up enemies like The End, Psycho Mantis or The Sorrow probably racked his brain for months thinking such stuff up.

    whatever makes you happy i suppose. :/

  • salvadorlimones #3 6 years ago

    it's probably a midlife crisis.

  • myiagros #4 6 years ago

    he's only consulting for GOW2 someone else is running the day to day stuff.
    I thought i read somewhere he is working on a new PSP title, these days.

  • Cabelo #5 6 years ago

    It's me. I'm making god of war three.

    It's a text adventure.

  • Blerk #6 6 years ago

    SWING SWORD

  • nick_f Verified Senior Producer, Microsoft #7 6 years ago

    What an ass.

    So he likes coming up with ideas (the easy part), but not working with the team to implement them (the hard part)?

    Join the club, David. Plenty of people feel that way.

    Unfortunately, the concept of "an ideas man" with no care or responsibility for implementation/execution is the type of job that shouldn't exist on a game team (imho).

  • Wobble #8 6 years ago

    you have a brother called doughboy and ICMFP.

  • nick_f Verified Senior Producer, Microsoft #9 6 years ago

    Do I know U wobble?

  • York #10 6 years ago

    David Jaffe: tortured artist.

  • Teeth #11 6 years ago

    This is perfectly natural I think. Soon he'll be joining the ranks of Chris Crawford et al as they strive to create the perfect game, pure ludology, with all the bullshit graphics, story and non-ambient sound distilled right out of it. The player interacts with it, and it does something.
    Edited by 1 at 19/07/06 @ 12:33

  • HarryPalmer #12 6 years ago

    "SWING SWORD"

    COMMAND NOT RECOGNISED
    Edited by 1 at 19/07/06 @ 14:23

  • nick_f Verified Senior Producer, Microsoft #13 6 years ago

    RIP HEAD OFF 100 FT SCALE-COVERED GRIFFIN AND SHIT DOWN ITS NECK

  • cyacomini #14 6 years ago

    Which came first, GoW or GOW ?

    \/

  • Raziel #15 6 years ago

    What an emo..

    Thousand of people work in the gaming industry day after day for well over 10 years and more. Do they all cry after they made one or 2 games?

  • Bezzy #16 6 years ago

    This is perfectly natural I think. Soon he'll be joining the ranks of Chris Crawford et al as they strive to create the perfect game, pure ludology, with all the bullshit graphics, story and non-ambient sound distilled right out of it. The player interacts with it, and it does something.

    Jaffe has always alluded to doing something "higher" than popcorn culture, almost as much as Kojima alludes to having a story. Problem is, for all those desires, he only ever makes popcorn.

    I remember explaining to him how there's emotion implicit in pure interactivity, and he said "I had never thought of that. I'll be sure to put that feature in my next game". This was when GoW was a twinkle in his eye, so you can see how well he engages with these higher aspirations. Doh.

    Now he's made a bit of contact with people with actual talent (Will Wright and Harvey smith must have sat him down and given him a talking to), and they seem to be opening his eyes a bit. Maybe he's beginning to understand how he can act on these higher aspirations.

    Maybe he's a late bloomer. Time will tell, I guess. I've always seen him as a Bruickhiemer, so seeing him try to make the quantum leap to being a Kubrick will be interesting, if not hilarious.

  • Grim... #17 6 years ago

    Gods Of War?
    Gears Of War?
    Gremlins On Windows?

    Less acronyms, more effort, EG.

  • Xerx3s #18 6 years ago

    SWING SWORD
    Enemy attaced you for 5 points.
    Unknown command. Type help for a list of all commands. Did you mean:

    [swing sword]?

    Enemy attaced you for 5 points.
    Enemy attaced you for 5 points.
    Enemy attaced you for 5 points.
    You died.
    Restart? Y/n

  • Mr_Whacker #19 6 years ago

    n

  • Mr_Whacker #20 6 years ago

    "But when you make one, you struggle for days, working alone and with the team, to just create ONE of those cool moments; just ONE of those 'Oh sweet' events."

    So in a more purer (sic) interactive game stuff just happens without any effort at all?

  • Wobble #21 6 years ago

    "Do I know U wobble?"
    If I was right, then yes :) and we went to school together, if not then no :p

  • nick_f Verified Senior Producer, Microsoft #22 6 years ago

    Fascinating, you are correct. Wondering who you are... RU a friend of Chris?

    Drop me a mail at ndr(my last name here)@gmail.com
    Edited by 1 at 19/07/06 @ 15:13

  • tenma #23 6 years ago

    I'm sorry, since when was it wrong for a guy to get sick of a particular genre?

    Stupid David Jaffe! Always expressing his feelings in those darned blogs.

  • Wobble #24 6 years ago

    "Drop me a mail at ndr(my last name here)@gmail.com "

    /wonders if he spelt your last name right...

  • speedjack #25 6 years ago

    Hold on...

    I thought he was working on a 'as yet unnamed' PSP game and had handed over God Of War 2 development duties to one of the old GOW art directors ?

    Am I wrong ???!

  • kangarootoo #26 6 years ago

    I don't really see this as any kind of quest for a higher game experience.

    I see it more like him saying "I find certain types of games hard to work on, so I'd prefer not to do it anymore".

    Now one might suggest that if you find a part of your job difficult, you should research ways of becoming better at it. Self improvement and all that.

    I can't blame him for not bothering, but I don't think it needs dressing up to be anything more than it is.

  • ZaphodTheFirst #27 6 years ago

    "n"

    Genius :)

  • Hunam85 #28 6 years ago

    Least he's not talking about wanking anymore. Guys a dick really, seems to me that he thinks this kinda work is below his station.

  • animal_mother #29 6 years ago

    I wonder if John Carmack is getting bored of FPS?

  • Penitent #30 6 years ago

    Shut up and get back to work

  • skuzzbag #31 6 years ago

    Did any of you read the article? Or just dive spluttering and spitting to the keyboard after reading the first paragraph?

    All he said was that he prefers to play them now rather than write them. Not something to get all your collective knickers in a twist about eh?

  • kangarootoo #32 6 years ago

    @skuzzbag

    Did you go on to read his blog as well? I did, hence my references to "dressing it up". If you read the blog you will find 10 plus pages of waffle about how he has essentially decided to stop doing stuff he finds difficult.

  • Teeth #33 6 years ago

    The man's a maggot.