Shinobi602, a popular insider who brings up video game rumors to light, recently posted on Twitter a hint that "God of War 4" will be set in Norse mythology, with Kratos depicted as a Viking instead of a Greek Spartan. Following up on this, NerdLeaks (via Gematsu) discovered several concept art images that support the ongoing rumor.
NerdLeaks reportedly started digging for more information and eventually found the photos on the website of concept artist Finnian MacManus. The images are private but were discovered when browsing through the page's source code.
Following the release of the images, the NerdLeaks website and its Twitter account have both been taken offline. It is undetermined at this point if this was caused by Sony responding to the release of the concept art. Despite this, a report from Polygon confirms the images are have been uploaded on NeoGAF.
Main protagonist Kratos is mentioned by name and the information about the concept art reveals at least two locations: Alfheim and Vanaheimr. Alfheim is described as the realm of fairies, depicted as a stone city, while Vanaheimr is a lush, green forest area. There are also indications that Kratos will find himself in prison at one point.
Sony confirmed that a fourth main entry in the franchise was indeed in the works, but this was back in 2014 and since then, there has been no word from the "God of War" developers, the Santa Monica studios of Sony Computer Entertainment. These images will be the first clues gamers will get in regards to the as-yet unconfirmed title.
The "God of War" games were traditionally set in Ancient Greece, with Kratos as a powerful Spartan tricked by the gods to kill his family. Over time, he killed Ares and took his place as the Greek god of war and eventually waged a war against Zeus and the entire pantheon of Greek gods. With no gods left to kill, it is only natural for a fourth entry to reboot the series in an entirely new setting and mythology.
