God of War Ragnarok free Valhalla DLC is a ‘celebration of the franchise’

The co-directors say Sony always planned for the DLC to be free

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God of War Ragnarokco-directors Mihir Sheth and Bruno Velazquez say the game’sValhallaDLC is a “celebration of the franchise.”

Valhalla -which is available now for free onPlayStation 5andPlayStation 4- is an extended epilogue roguelike that takes place after the events ofRagnarokand features Kratos, accompanied by Mimir, on a new journey who will experience new trials.

The co-directors told IGN in aninterviewthat this new story for the character is “intimate,” as they went on to discuss the DLC’s inspiration, the growth of the series, and how players will react toValhalla’s “surprises.”

Touching on the DLC’s roguelike elements - which give Kratos a maxed-out skill tree and abilities - Sheth said thatSonySanta Monica is “taking an inspiration from a genre that’s not really ‘what we do,'” but thatValhallais “still very firmly aGod of Warexperience.”

The developers later added that Sony always planned for the DLC to be free and that it’s a “gift” to allGod of Warfans before the end of the year.

“This is a celebration of the franchise, its players and its history,” Sheth said. “The character of Kratos is the culmination of all of this, but celebration was a theme… We need our fans to come with us because we are taking them on a journey that’s quite unique in this regard.

“We want everyone, again, I stress this, if you’ve ever been a part of this franchise, this is for you.”

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Following theDLC’s announcement at The Game Awards 2023, Velazquez explained in aYouTubevideothatValhallawas a location that the studio wasn’t able to explore inRagnarok, and said: “In true Santa Monica Studio fashion, we had a lot of fun creating a new take onVahallafor you to explore.”

Sheth went on to say that players can expect an “unraveling adventure” that will “reframeGod of War,” and that no singular run will be the same, taking full advantage of the roguelike genre.

For more, be sure to check out our list of thebest story games, along with our list of thebest PS5 gamesyou can play in 2023.

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