Sometimes a celebrity sighting is just a celebrity sighting, but when that celebrity happens to be the creative director behind God of War and he’s spotted leaving the venue for The Game Awards hours before rehearsals wrap up, the gaming community goes into full detective mode. That’s exactly what happened on December 11, 2025, when a Reddit user posted that they saw Cory Barlog exiting the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, setting off a chain reaction of speculation that ultimately led nowhere.
The Sighting That Started It All
A Reddit user enjoying their Los Angeles holiday decided to check out the area around the Peacock Theater, where The Game Awards 2025 was scheduled to take place that evening. According to their post on the Gaming Leaks and Rumours subreddit, they spotted Cory Barlog, the legendary director of God of War 2018 and creative director of God of War Ragnarok, leaving the venue alongside what appeared to be other Santa Monica Studio staff members. The user noted that the group seemed to be in a hurry, so they didn’t ask for photos.
The timing of the sighting was particularly interesting. Other Reddit users quickly pointed out that this coincided with when Geoff Keighley announced that rehearsals for The Game Awards had wrapped up. This detail suggested Barlog had been present at the rehearsal for some purpose, fueling speculation that he might be there to announce or present something related to Santa Monica Studio’s mysterious next project.
Why Everyone Got So Excited
The hype around Barlog’s presence wasn’t completely unfounded. Santa Monica Studio has been working on something new since God of War Ragnarok wrapped up in 2022, and the gaming community has been desperately trying to figure out what that project is. In July 2025, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier confirmed that Barlog’s game was the studio’s next big thing and that development was going well. He also shot down long-standing rumors that it would be a sci-fi title, adding that it’s not technically a new IP but might feel like one.
Additionally, The Game Awards has a history of bringing back previous Game of the Year winners to reveal their next projects. God of War won Game of the Year in 2018, so it made logical sense that Barlog might return to the stage in 2025 to unveil whatever he’s been cooking up. The pieces seemed to fit together perfectly. Except they didn’t.
What Actually Happened
The Game Awards 2025 came and went without any announcement from Santa Monica Studio. The show featured plenty of big reveals, including Larian Studios announcing their next Divinity game, Casey Hudson’s Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, the pod racing-inspired Star Wars: Galactic Racer, the reveal of Lenny Kravitz as the villain in 007 First Light, and surprises like Forest 3 and Ace Combat 8. But Cory Barlog’s mysterious project? Nowhere to be seen.
So what was Barlog doing at the Peacock Theater? The most likely explanation is that he was either presenting an award or involved in some other capacity that didn’t involve announcing a new game. As several Reddit commenters pointed out, The Game Awards functions as something of a mutual admiration society for the gaming industry. Developers often attend to present awards, support colleagues, or simply be part of the celebration, especially when they’re based in Los Angeles and don’t have to travel far.
The Danger of Reading Tea Leaves
This entire episode demonstrates how eager fans are for news about Barlog’s next game, and how willing they are to interpret any tiny detail as a sign of an impending announcement. The reality is that attendance at an industry event, even at rehearsals, doesn’t automatically mean someone is announcing a game. Rehearsals happen for presenters, award recipients, musical performances, and various other segments that have nothing to do with world premiere reveals.
Traffic in Los Angeles is notoriously bad, which is another mundane but perfectly reasonable explanation for why Barlog would arrive hours early. If he was scheduled to present an award or make any appearance during the three-hour show, getting there well in advance to rehearse and beat the traffic makes total sense. No mystery, no secret game reveal, just basic Los Angeles logistics.
What We Actually Know
Despite the lack of a Game Awards appearance, Santa Monica Studio is definitely working on something. The studio has been hiring for an unannounced title for years, and job listings have hinted at a project that’s significantly different from God of War. While earlier speculation suggested it might be a sci-fi game, Schreier debunked that rumor in mid-2025, stating that the sci-fi angle was nonsense.
What Schreier did say is that the project isn’t a new IP but might feel like one, which is intriguing. This description suggests Santa Monica could be reimventing an existing Sony franchise in a dramatic way, similar to how they transformed God of War from a hack-and-slash action series into a more narrative-driven action-adventure game with the 2018 reboot. What franchise that might be remains pure speculation, with everything from Jak and Daxter to obscure PlayStation properties being thrown around as possibilities.
The God of War Side Project
Making things more confusing, there’s also a separate God of War project reportedly in development. Multiple insiders have claimed that a 2.5D Metroidvania-style God of War spin-off set in Greece is in the works, potentially starring Deimos, Kratos’ brother, in a prequel story. This project was rumored for a 2025 release but apparently slipped to 2026 after the scope increased to include full voice acting and other enhancements.
This spin-off is separate from whatever Barlog is directing, meaning Santa Monica Studio appears to have multiple projects in various stages of development. The Metroidvania game is supposedly more of a smaller-scale side story, while Barlog’s project is described as the studio’s next big thing. Neither made an appearance at The Game Awards 2025, leaving fans to continue waiting and speculating.
FAQs
Who is Cory Barlog?
Cory Barlog is the creative director at Sony Santa Monica Studio who directed God of War (2018), which won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2018. He also served as creative director on God of War Ragnarok and previously directed God of War II on the PlayStation 2.
Was Cory Barlog’s new game announced at The Game Awards 2025?
No, despite speculation sparked by his presence at the Peacock Theater, no Santa Monica Studio game was announced during The Game Awards 2025. Barlog was likely there to rehearse for a presenter role or other non-announcement capacity.
What is Cory Barlog working on?
Barlog is directing Santa Monica Studio’s next major project, but details remain under wraps. Reporter Jason Schreier has confirmed the game is in development and going well, describing it as not a new IP but something that might feel like one. Earlier rumors that it would be a sci-fi game have been debunked.
Is there a new God of War game coming?
A separate God of War spin-off project is reportedly in development – a 2.5D Metroidvania-style game set in Greece, potentially starring Deimos. This is different from Barlog’s project. The spin-off was rumored for 2025 but has reportedly been delayed to 2026.
Why do people think Barlog was announcing a game?
Fans assumed his presence at rehearsals meant he would announce a new game because The Game Awards has a history of bringing back previous Game of the Year winners to reveal their next projects. Additionally, the timing suggested he was rehearsing for something significant.
What was actually announced at The Game Awards 2025?
Major announcements included Larian Studios’ new Divinity game, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic from Casey Hudson’s studio, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Lenny Kravitz as the villain in 007 First Light, Forest 3, Ace Combat 8, and various other titles. No Sony Santa Monica projects were revealed.
When will we see Barlog’s next game?
There’s no official timeline for when Santa Monica Studio will reveal Barlog’s project. Given that it’s described as the studio’s next big thing and development is reportedly going well, a reveal could potentially happen at a PlayStation State of Play or future industry event, but nothing has been confirmed.
Conclusion
The Cory Barlog sighting is a perfect example of how the gaming community’s hunger for news can turn even the most mundane occurrence into a full-blown conspiracy theory. A developer attending an industry event in his own city became evidence of an imminent game reveal, when the reality was probably far less exciting. The lesson here is that sometimes a sighting is just a sighting, and rehearsals don’t always equal announcements. Barlog’s mysterious project will be revealed when Sony and Santa Monica Studio are good and ready, not because someone spotted him near a theater in Los Angeles. Until then, we’ll all just have to keep waiting and try not to read too much into every little breadcrumb.