David Jaffe

David Jaffe created and directed the first God of War game (2005) at Santa Monica Studio and was creative director and co-writer on God of War II. He later co-directed Twisted Metal for PS3 and directed Drawn to Death.

1:52:16 David Jaffe created God of War. Cory Barlog wrote that Jaffe "created and directed the first God of War game", the 2005 PlayStation 2 game that introduced Kratos, and Jaffe then co-wrote God of War II as creative director. He has not worked on the Norse games or on God of War Laufey, due May 20, 2027, though PlayStation describes Laufey's combat as borrowing the mobility of the classic Greek saga his game began. The clip, from Josh Strife Plays' replay of the 2005 game, plays the game's hidden phone message, in which Jaffe introduces himself as its director.

Quick facts

Known for	Creating and directing God of War (2005)
God of War II (2007)	Creative director, co-writer with Cory Barlog
Other games	Twisted Metal (PS3), Drawn to Death (PS4, 2017)
On the TV series	Called its first-look image "so dumb" on his YouTube channel, Mar 2026

Sources: PlayStation Blog (Cory Barlog), Mar 20, 2015; GamesRadar+, Nov 12, 2018; PlayStation Blog, Apr 8, 2011; PlayStation Blog, Feb 6, 2017; Variety, Mar 3, 2026.

Making God of War

Santa Monica Studio owed Jaffe a favor after he helped finish its racer Kinetica in its last six months, and in 2002 he started the game that became God of War under the working name Dark Odyssey. His starting idea was a game like Onimusha with Greek myth in place of Japanese; he listened to Queen's Flash Gordon soundtrack throughout. Kratos's pale skin, the ashes of his family in the story, was Jaffe's choice after a black and white illustration he liked.

At GDC in 2006 the team described Jaffe's goals as a cinematic camera, an epic story and no loading screens, with "I don't want any two doors to open the same way" as his rule, and a "three times rule": a feature he asked for three times got evaluated. The team was about 45 people. It cost him, he said in 2009: "I gained 40 pounds on this game."

God of War (2005) came out on Mar 22, 2005 and won Overall Game of the Year at the D.I.C.E. awards in Feb 2006. For God of War II, Jaffe moved to creative director and wrote the story with Barlog, who directed. He was one of the five directors of the first five games filmed together in a 2010 roundtable, later included in the Origins Collection.

After God of War

On the PlayStation Blog in Apr 2011, Jaffe called himself "co-director and co-lead designer" of the new Twisted Metal for PS3. In 2017 he directed Drawn to Death, a four-player PS4 shooter that came out on Apr 4, 2017 for $19.99, and wrote that God of War taught him "play mechanics are why I love making and playing games."

He now talks about games on his own YouTube channel. In Mar 2026 he called the Prime Video series' first-look image of Kratos "so dumb" there, while saying showrunner Ronald D. Moore "is awesome" and that he expected a good show; see God of War TV Series. No review by him of God of War Sons of Sparta was found in a source this page can cite.

Frequently asked questions

Who created God of War? David Jaffe created and directed the first God of War game, released on PS2 on Mar 22, 2005, at Santa Monica Studio.

Did David Jaffe direct God of War II? No. Cory Barlog directed God of War II (2007); Jaffe was its creative director and co-wrote the story with him.

Is David Jaffe involved with God of War Laufey? No source names David Jaffe on God of War Laufey; it is directed by Ariel Lawrence at Santa Monica Studio, with Cory Barlog as the studio's Head of Creative.

What did David Jaffe say about the God of War TV show? In Mar 2026, on his YouTube channel, the God of War creator called the series' first-look image "so dumb" but praised showrunner Ronald D. Moore.