David Jaffe, the original creator, co-writer, and director of God of War, has issued a clarification regarding his viral comments about Ariel Lawrence, the creative director for the upcoming game God of War Laufey. Lawrence, who has been involved with the God of War franchise since its inception, was the subject of Jaffe's remarks during a September 2026 livestream while he was reacting to footage for God of War Laufey. Jaffe, who departed Santa Monica Studio in 2007, stated that he and Lawrence "never got along" during their time working together, citing personality clashes and a perceived lack of passion for the games on her part.
During the stream, Jaffe described their working relationship, saying, "She thought I was kind of obnoxious and I thought she was pretentious. She didn't put the audience first." He further elaborated, "People that I didn't get along with on God of War were people, in my opinion, who were more about, 'I wanna do well in the corporate world… I want to play the game,' versus, 'I'm here with a vision and I will f**kin' fight you for that vision.' There was a lack of passion I felt from her, and she was also kind of a judgy asshole, to me."
Jaffe also criticized Cory Barlog's decision to develop Laufey, calling the game "stupid" and questioning why Lawrence was not given direct feedback. His comments quickly spread online, igniting a debate among God of War fans and the wider gaming community. In response to the reaction, Jaffe took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the situation, condemning those who were using his past experiences to harass Lawrence.
"Look, I personally didn't like Ariel and I don't THINK she cared much for me back when we worked together. Oil and Water, just very different types of people," Jaffe posted. "And honestly, she was probably more liked on the team than I was. You see, if you haven't noticed, I can be, as my ex-wife says, 'a lot.'"
He continued, "For people to use my experience with Ariel as an excuse/launching pad to make personal attacks on her is just low and stty. She's a real person — just like you — with a life and feelings and people who care for her and who love her, and it just seems really fking cruel to do that."
Lawrence and the development of God of War Laufey have unfortunately faced online scrutiny. Earlier this year, remarks targeting Deborah Ann Woll's appearance and objections to a woman leading a God of War game garnered significant attention. While other titles have since drawn the focus of online criticism, God of War Laufey has continued to be a point of discussion. Bruce Straley, director of The Last of Us, previously commented that modern AAA games no longer "excite" him, using Laufey as an example, though he later apologized for the remark.
God of War Laufey is scheduled for release on February 16, 2027, exclusively for the PlayStation 5.